Knox County shelter for those in dire need is closing, and officials haven't found an alternative
CORONAVIRUS

REPLAY: Knox County Health Department update on COVID-19

Angela M. Gosnell
Knoxville News Sentinel

The Knox County Health Department will provide updates and answer questions regarding the novel coronavirus today at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Knox County has detected 238 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday— 34 cases are active,  199, or nearly 83%, of cases are listed as recovered and five died.

Of the 34 people hospitalized, three remain in Knox County hospitals. 

The numbers of people listed under active, recovered, died and hospitalized do not equal the number of detected cases because a person could be counted in more than one category as they battled the disease, such as being hospitalized and recovering.

Knoxville announced Thursday that its annual Festival on the 4th celebration is canceled over coronavirus concerns — a sign of things to come for events scheduled this summer. 

The festival is a big hit with locals, drawing thousands to World's Fair Park for music by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and an extravagant fireworks spectacle. 

"We are an incredibly patriotic city and this is an annual event we look forward to every summer," Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said in a news release."However, under the circumstances gatherings of this size should not take place and would put our residents at a greater risk for spreading COVID-19." 

Dining in will be permitted starting today, but not much of it will be happening in downtown Knoxville

Only a handful of downtown establishments have announced they plan to re-open their dining rooms Friday, which they're allowed to do in phase one of the Knox County and City of Knoxville re-opening plan. 

“We think that the majority of our clientele is not ready," Sapphire owner Aaron Thompson told Knox News on Wednesday. "I’m sure they want to. But just look at all the restaurants downtown, for the most part, and most of them are waiting.”

Phase one allows restaurants to open at 50% capacity with other social distancing and sanitization requirements. 

There is nothing stopping worshipers from congregating for services, but no official is recommending churches, synagogues and mosques throw open their doors right away.

In Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order No. 30, signed Tuesday, he “strongly encouraged” that places of worship opt for online services. But, he wrote that “nothing in this order mandates closure of places of worship, or prohibits weddings or funerals as a matter of law.”

“It’s important to remember and know that church services have never been closed, even through the first level of executive order," Lee said Wednesday during a news conference. "First Amendment rights are incredibly important."

Lee's executive order also prevents local officials or governments from regulating places of worship.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will reopen many trails and roads May 9, the park announced Thursday, bringing visitors back to the nation's most popular national park for the first time in more than a month.

Campgrounds, picnic pavilions, visitor centers and many secondary roads will remain closed during the first reopening phase, which is expected to last for at least two weeks.