Gov. Bill Lee will drop social distancing mandates for businesses, even as Tennessee reports some of the highest COVID-19 new case rates in the nation.
Lee told reporters Tuesday he will lift the remaining pandemic restrictions on businesses in the 89 counties governed by the state Department of Health. The action doesn’t apply to Tennessee’s six most populous counties which have their own health authorities.
The move comes as the Associated Press reports Tennessee has the 13th highest per capita coronavirus new case rate in the country.
The governor will renew Tennessee’s State of Emergency and will also extend the authority allowing counties to enforce mask mandates if they choose to do so.
