Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Tuesday his administration is crafting a new public health order that will require restaurants to close by 10 p.m. starting Friday as part of a continued effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Cooper said the order will impact both restaurants and “restaurants that ended up being bars in practice," and any business that serves alcohol. Drive-thru and take out services should be allowed to continue after 10 p.m., said Dr. Alex Jahangir, head of the city’s coronavirus task force.
The order is the latest effort by Nashville officials to slow an escalating coronavirus outbreak, centered in the core of the city, that has forced city schools to start classes online and threatens to push hospitals to the brink. In the face of these consequences, closing restaurants was more than justified, Cooper said.
“We must use the tools we have to get that done," the mayor said. "If we have to tell 100,000 children to stay home, we can tell public facilities to close early."
As of Tuesday, Nashville had detected more than 18,000 coronavirus infections, including about 5,600 active cases, and 155 virus-related deaths. About 200 people are currently hospitalized with the virus in the city. Of all virus test results collected by city officials in the past week, 14% have been positive.
Cooper has previously attempted to slow the spread of the disease by shuttering bars, including the downtown honky-tonks at the core of the city’s entertainment industry. Despite this closure, crowds have persisted on Lower Broadway, gathering around businesses that have remained open because they technically qualify as restaurants instead of bars. Most of the people seen mingling on Broadway do not wear masks or maintain the personal distance required to prevent the spread of the virus.
Police have issued hundreds of warnings in an attempt to enforce the city's mask mandate but stopped short of writing citations. Cooper defended this tactic on Tuesday.
"It's not up to the public health department or the police to catch people," Cooper said. "We cannot cite our way out of this. We just can't do it. We can try to be fair and went out to people, but primarily this is about education."
During a news conference on Tuesday, Cooper was not specific when asked if he had considered closing Broadway altogether. When asked if he would enact a curfew for all residents, Cooper said all options were being considered.
Yihyun Jeong covers politics in Nashville for USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE. Reach her at yjeong@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.
Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.
"close" - Google News
July 21, 2020 at 10:45PM
https://ift.tt/3g1I0RT
As Broadway crowds persist, Nashville mayor will require restaurants to close by 10 p.m. - Tennessean
"close" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2QTYm3D
https://ift.tt/3d2SYUY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "As Broadway crowds persist, Nashville mayor will require restaurants to close by 10 p.m. - Tennessean"
Post a Comment