Following Governor Bill Lee’s announcement last week that his “Safer at Home” executive orders will expire on April 30th, Wayne County Executive Jim Mangubat released a plan for steps to reopen our local economy.
From the desk of County Executive Jim Mangubat: “Wayne County Economic Recovery Plan”
This four-step plan provides recommendations for businesses to reopen during the month of May.
Step 1 – Expected May 1
Steps to Take:
•Promote Social Distancing practices, including mask wearing, in public places. This includes libraries and all county government buildings.
•Continue promoting “Senior-only” hours at businesses
•Reopen retail spaces, restaurants, and bars with 50% capacity with guidance from the TN Department of Health while encouraging Social Distancing practices
•Open up close-contact services by appointment only with guidelines (masks, gloves, 50% capacity at any given time) for: Nail Salons, Hair Salons, Tattoo Shops, Tanning Salons, Massage Therapy, Pet Grooming
•Reopen Gyms & Fitness Centers for operation when management or staff is on site to promote Social Distancing and equipment sanitation
•Promote Social Distancing and sanitation practices in all manufacturing operations
•Promote Social Distancing in funeral homes by recommending that services are only conducted graveside until Step 4 (expected May 22)
•Reopen local parks while continuing to promote Social Distancing practices
•Work with Wayne County Ministerial Association and area churches to create guidelines for safely returning to a normal service schedule
When to Step Back:
•A new surge of cases that cannot be traced to known cases
•Sustained rise in cases for five (5) consecutive days
•Hospital is no longer able to safely treat all patients
•Requirements to move to Next Step
•A sustained reduction in new cases for at least seven (7) days
•Hospital is safely able to treat all patients requiring hospitalization without crisis standards
Step 2 – Expected May 8 (Date Subject to Results of Step 1)
Steps to Take:
•Open up close-contact services to walk-in customers with guidelines (masks, gloves, 50% capacity at any given time)
When to Step Back:
•Same guidelines as in Step 1
Step 3 – Expected May 15 (Date Subject to Results of Step 2)
Steps to Take:
•All retail spaces open at full capacity while promoting social distancing
•All restaurant spaces open at full capacity while promoting social distancing
•Open up close-contact services at full capacity with guidelines
•Promoting Social Distancing practices for vulnerable populations
When to Step Back:
•Same guidelines as in Steps 1 and 2
Step 4 – Expected May 22 (Date Subject to Results of Step 3)
•REOPEN WITHOUT GUIDANCE
When to Step Back:
•A new surge of cases that cannot be traced to known cases
•Sustained rise in cases for five (5) consecutive days
•Hospital is no longer able to safely treat all patients
On Friday, Governor Bill Lee gave further guidance concerning the reopening of businesses. The guidelines released by the governor on April 24th were as follows:
•Only Restaurants will be recommended to reopen Monday, April 27, 2020 at 50% capacity and also following the guidelines listed on the tn.gov website for restaurants.
•Retail Businesses will be recommended to reopen Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 50% capacity and also following the guidelines listed on the tn.gov website for retail businesses.
•ALL other businesses including Hair Salons, Barber Shops, Tanning Salons, Nail Salons, Pet Grooming, Tattoo Shops, Massage Therapy, etc. are not recommended to reopen at this time.
The Governor’s office stated that they would have further guidance this week regarding Churches, Medical Procedures, and Gyms.
When asked for clarification about how the new guidelines would affect the Wayne County Recovery Plan, County Executive Mangubat confirmed that although the governor said that close-contact services such as hair salons, etc. are not recommended to reopen at this time, they will remain on the county’s plan for Step 2 reopenings expected on May 8.
More information concerning the governor’s recommendations may be obtained at tn.gov, or by calling the office of the County Executive at 931-722-3653.
