NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- Nashville is again shuttering some parts of its economy in response to a recent spike in cases of COVID-19.
Mayor John Cooper announced the reversal Thursday morning as the city recorded 608 new infections over the previous 24 hours, the all-time highest one-day count in Metro since the pandemic began.
Mayor John Cooper told reporters Thursday that restaurants and “high touch” businesses will revert to serving patrons at half their normal capacity. Retail outlets will return to three-fourths occupancy. Groups will be limited to 25 people. All Metro residents must wear a mask in public.
Mayor Cooper singled out bars as the source for many of the new infections. Bars that only serve drinks will be closed. Bars that serve food will do so at limited capacity and at tables only.
This weekend’s Fourth of July fireworks show has been cancelled. In a press statement, Convention and Visitors Corp. President Butch Spyridon wrote “the significant increase in COVID cases this week made it clear that we needed to take any steps possible to discourage crowds from gathering.”
