The president of the Tennessee Medical Association said Governor Bill Lee should have ordered a statewide mask mandate due to the increasing COVID-19 crisis.
Dr. M. Kevin Smith said, “The physicians of the Tennessee Medical Association have consistently recommended that mask requirement orders be issued in all counties with over 10 new cases per 100,000 population per day.
Since the best county in Tennessee at present has over 80 new cases/100,000/day over the past seven days, we believe all Tennessee counties should be under mask requirement orders at this time.
“We agree that the next several weeks will be a critical time for Tennessee in regards to the COVID pandemic. We expect serious illnesses and deaths to significantly increase in coming weeks. We plead with all Tennesseans to stay safe, stay apart, wear masks, and stay home to protect their families and friends from this deadly virus.”
Tennessee Democratic Party chair Mary Mancini responded to the governor's statewide address:
“Tennessee is the number one hot spot for transmission of the coronavirus in the entire world,we’ve seen an 89 percent increase in cases in the last 14 days, and more people are dying than ever before. Even though we are in the middle of a crisis spiraling out of control, Governor Lee has refused to issue a statewide mask requirement.
"Even though it might be unpopular, Tennessee needs decisive leadership and real action because we are, in the words of Governor Lee himself, ‘ground zero’ for the nation in this moment of the pandemic. A requirement that every Tennessean wear a mask when indoors at stores and restaurants and outdoors when unable to maintain six feet of distance is a clear directive that could guide actions and save lives. By once again refusing, Bill Lee has failed to meet the challenge of this serious health crisis.”