Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said Tuesday that Hamilton County plans to re-open on May 1, and he is hopeful the municipalities will go along.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Monday announced most counties in the state would no longer be under shutdown orders on May 1, with only a few of the metropolitan counties left to decide when they wish to re-open.
County Mayor Coppinger praised the conduct of county residents when it came to following government directives, and implored them to continue to practice social distancing, hand-washing, and other measures that have been in place.
“Because of this, we feel like Hamilton County is ready and willing to open on May 1, and I sincerely hope our municipalities will do so as well,” he said.
“I believe the governor’s decision to reopen will be successful only if each city within our county moves in the direction the governor wants us to go,” said County Mayor Coppinger. “We can do this by working together, and working hand in hand, we can bring this economy back.”
The mayor did say those over 65 should be extremely cautious when going out. He said social distancing and washing hands should still be practiced after the shutdown order has been lifted.
“Our county will continue to be aggressive in testing for the COVID-19 virus, and it will continue to aggressively perform our contact-tracing, which we have found to be extremely successful,” said County Mayor Coppinger.
He said he will continue to communicate with Becky Barnes and the Health Department about the state of COVID-19 in Hamilton County.
County Mayor Coppinger said the county will publish a set of guidelines and regulations people must follow as the economy opens up. He said the county wants to follow the state guidelines as closely as possible in order to avoid confusion.
“They will facilitate those restrictions to the health department,” said the county mayor. “Those will be disseminated from there. So really, all we’re waiting on now is for us to come to an agreement.”
The stance by County Mayor Coppinger goes in opposition to what Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said Monday, where he expressed a desire to move in a more cautious manner as health officials gather more information.
“I have a lot of confidence in the people of this county,” said County Mayor Coppinger about how people conduct themselves, “That’s what has helped bring those numbers down. Our habits have changed.”
“I hope that people aren’t going to, because they’re bored, just go out to a mall and walk around. I hope they just go from point A to point B because it’s something they need to get or something they need to do.”
County Mayor Coppinger said there have been a few “bad actors” during the pandemic, but he said the most citizens have been acting in a safe manner.
“The majority of people are going to protect themselves and their families, and the health department has given them a the information about how to do that. So I’m confident that we’re going to act in a manner that will make it safe for everyone.”
When asked if protests or political pressure had any impact on Hamilton County reopening on May 1, County Mayor Coppinger had a terse answer.
“Zero. None.”
At the City Council meeting, barber shop operator Ron Brown said it was unfair that similar businesses out in the county will be able to open and not his shop.