TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jul 27, 2020

White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx had a message for Gov. Bill Lee during a visit today to Tennessee: it’s time for a statewide mask mandate and closure of bars. Birx warned Lee during the meeting that Tennessee has dipped into the White House’s “red zone” of states with positive test rates greater than 10%, the Nashville Post reports. Lee has given county mayors the authority to issue mask mandates, but he has not issued a statewide mandate himself and continued that position today. At a joint press conference, Birx called on Tennesseans to wear masks in public, stop going to bars, limit indoor dining and follow social distancing rules to avoid another shut down. The visit came after a phone call with leaders last week that also highlighted Tennessee’s growing infection rate. The Nashville Business Journal has that story.