Hamilton County officials, responding to the coronavirus spread, are asking that public gatherings be limited to 10 persons.
Amy Maxwell of Hamilton County Emergency Preparedness said, "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended postponing or cancelling any public event or gathering that will require 10 or more people to be present.
"Hamilton County will be following CDC’s guidelines, and will therefore not be holding any meetings or public gatherings with 10 or more people until further notice.
"Examples of these large scale events include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings and other types of assemblies. We urge event organizers, as well as all of our residents, to follow these procedures.
"Gatherings with less than 10 participants are currently allowed, but we advise that meetings and small gatherings only be held if absolutely necessary. In such an event, please take proper measures to ensure the safety of all attendees.
"We continue to advise all residents to practice the recommendations listed below to protect themselves and those around them from contamination:
- Maintain a distance of six (6) feet from others when possible. This is called social distancing, or remaining out of congregate settings
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitizer.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home if you are sick to protect others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with your sleeve, elbow, or tissue. Discard the tissue immediately after use.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects.
- Community members 60+ years of age should limit exposure to large groups and ensure they have an adequate supply at home of medications and food.
Stay informed using reliable information sources, such as the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html#anchor_1580064337377 and the Tennessee Department of Health at https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html.
Earlier on Monday, the city of Chattanooga was asking that public gatherings not include more than 50 people.
That is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which had recommended gatherings of no more than 250 people, but cut that to 50 people. But later in the day the CDC cut that to 10 people.
A host of local events and large gatherings have been canceled in the wake of the coronavirus threat.