Gov. Lee asks mayors of 'Big 6' counties to lift mask mandates by Memorial Day Weekend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is urging mayors of the largest counties not under the state health department's jurisdiction to lift their mask mandates by Memorial Day Weekend.

"It’s time for government to get out of the business of public health interventions," Gov. Lee said while announcing thatall public health orders surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are ending. "COVID-19 is now a managed public health issue, and our state’s no longer a statewide public health crisis."

Effective Wednesday, mayors of the 89 counties with health departments under the Tennessee Department of Health's direction will no longer have the authority to issue facial covering requirements. This does not apply to what Gov. Lee calls the "Big Six" - Davidson, Shelby, Hamilton, Knox, Sullivan and Madison counties.

“With regard to the other big six counties, whose authority’s independent, three of these counties have mask mandates and have some level of business restrictions. Each of these counties has been moving in the right direction, and I spoke with each one of these counties. Over the last day, our office either reached out or I spoke personally to those mayors about my desire that by Memorial Day, all business restrictions, all mandates, mask mandates and limits, will be lifted across the state. We believe that will happen," Gov. Lee commented.

But, Nashville public health leaders are saying not so fast.

In an interview with FOX 17 News Reporter Kathleen Jacob, Metro Health Interim Chief Medical Director Dr. Gill Wright revealed that he's not eyeing a change in Nashville's indoor mask mandate until at least the end of June.

"I think we’re going to continue to follow the science, the science says masks do protect you, especially indoors. We don’t have any plans in the near future to discontinue masks. Masks will continue at least through the end of our public health emergency order that the board set through the end of June," Dr. Wright said. "And then we’ll have to look at what the science is saying. What is our rate of infection? What is going on in the city?"

Gov. Lee expressed since vaccines are widely available, now is the time to loosen restrictions in order to recharge the economy.

“It’s time for businesses to get back to serving their customers. It’s time for celebrations and weddings and conventions and concerts and parades and proms and everything in between to happen without limits on gathering sizes or other arbitrary restrictions for those events," Gov. Lee said.

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The governor's comments come the same day Metro Health announced plans tolift all COVID-19 capacity restrictions while still keeping the indoor mask mandate in place.

"Should we find that opening the businesses back up has a significant effect on numbers, we can, quite easily, regress if we would need to," Dr. Wright told FOX 17 News. "We don’t want to, but we do have that ability without the board having to meet and we could do that if we needed to. Right now, the mask mandate, not driven by the governor’s request, we welcome that request, but we really want to look at the scene. So even through we’re opening everything up, we’re going to continue to hold the mask mandate at least through the end of June."

Gov. Lee says in talks with the Nashville Mayor, Cooper explained that he wanted to life the mask mandate at the right time and in his own timing. The governor is hopeful that timing will be by the end of May.

"We don’t always agree, but certainly we understand that just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean you can’t work together," Gov. Lee said of his relationship with Mayor Cooper. "That’s a principle that I think that’s somewhat been lost in our country, but I hope it’s not lost in Tennessee. It’s certainly not in my relationship in working with our municipal mayors.”

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