COVID-19 Update- Starting the Reopening Process

We are checking in to make sure you are updated on the latest news related to the winding down of the city and state’s "Safer at Home" orders over the next few weeks. We are awaiting more details on how this will actually work and what it will look like, as well as when our many different types of member businesses can reopen and how they can do so safely. We are working closely with the Mayor's Office and other business groups, and public health and safety will always be theirs and our top priority.

Nashville announced this morning it is extending its Safer at Home order until May 1 and could see a phased reopening starting in early May, saying science and data will drive decisions on when businesses can safely reopen. (The order was set to expire on Friday, April 24.) Mayor John Cooper will be announcing later this week what a phased reopening of the city will look like. The city indicated retail and restaurants would be part of the first phase but with capacity limitations and social distancing guidelines. 

Gov. Bill Lee is not going to extend the state Safer at Home order, which expires on April 30, across most of the state. This does not apply to the state’s largest cities/counties, and Nashville (as well as Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville) can decide their own reopening strategies. Some businesses outside Nashville, including in surrounding counties, will be reopening as early as this Monday, April 27. The state plans to have more details later this week about what businesses will reopen first, and the types of social distancing guidelines they will need to follow.