Category: News

 Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday announced more relaxed regulations on business, saying that beginning on Friday, May 1, exercise facilities in 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties have the ability to operate at 50% capacity. This includes Coffee County. 

This announcement does come with some recommendations. Lee recommends that exercise facilities keep doors and windows open when possible to improve ventilation, encourage social distancing with signage, require customers wash hands upon entering and leaving the facility, require customers to clean equipment before and after use, consider limiting workout length and encourage employees to wear masks.

Lee also recommends closing showers, locker rooms and lockers and encourage customers to instead bring small gym bags.

Lee recommends closing all swimming pools, hot tubs, saunas and other recreational water or spa facilities, as well as basketball courts, racquetball courts and other similar areas. He also recommends youth or adult team leagues or sports remain closed, and to only allow group fitness classes if classes can be completed in accordance with social distancing recommendations.

See complete guidelines by clicking here. 

The state of Tennessee began providing economic relief to thousands of self-employed individuals by paying Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits made available to them through the federal government’s CARES Act.

After building the system necessary to accommodate this new benefit, The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) began processing unemployment applications under PUA guidelines set by the United States Department of Labor.

Self-employed individuals are not typically eligible for unemployment. PUA provided the funding necessary to pay benefits to Tennesseans who have not been able to work in order to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Department began processing eligible claims on April 22 and continued processing into the weekend. Tens of thousands of eligible individuals should have funds deposited into their bank accounts or debit cards this week.

In order to process the claims in the most expedient manner possible, all claimants will first receive the minimum weekly PUA benefit of $120 and the additional $600 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefit. Individuals eligible for more than the minimum will see their payments adjusted up over time. Payments are retroactive to March 15 or when the claimant first applied. The FPUC benefit is retroactive back to the week ending April 4.

TDLWD utilized the minimum payment method in order to distribute benefits immediately, and then take the necessary time needed to calculate each claimant’s weekly benefit amount (WBA). Once the Department finalizes a WBA, the claimant will receive the difference between the minimum and their actual benefit in a later payment.

The Department will contact each claimant to request wage information if it has not already been provided. Claimants will also receive instructions on how to become current on any missed weekly certifications. It is extremely important claimants do not make any changes to their claims while they are processing in order to prevent issues that could cause a delay.

PUA provides up to 39 weeks of benefits to qualifying individuals who are otherwise able to work and available for work within the meaning of applicable state law, except that they are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to COVID-19 related reasons, as defined in the CARES Act. PUA benefits cannot be paid for weeks of unemployment ending after December 31, 2020.

Self-employed Tennesseans can still apply for PUA by visiting www.Jobs4TN.gov or calling 844-432-0969.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, there are now 9,918 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state of Tennessee. There are 4,720 people recovered, leaving approximately 5,198 active cases, 48 more than the prior day. There have been 154,402 total tests performed, 837 hospitalizations and 184 confirmed deaths.

In Coffee County, there have been 33 confirmed cases. There are 10 people considered recovered, according to the South Central COVID hotline, leaving 23 active cases. There have been 900 negative tests performed in Coffee County.

Unity Medical Center, in partnership with TriStar Centennial, is proud to announce that Dr. Jackson Wray will be performing consults for pulmonary telemedicine at Unity Medical Center in Manchester.

Unity announced in December that it would employ a state-of-the-art robot that will allow patients at UMC instant access to specialists while being a patient at Unity. UMC was the first hospital to partner with TriStar Centennial for cardiac telemedicine and has since added psychiatric telemedicine, and now, pulmonary.

“This parentship with Unity Medical Center and TriStar will allow our patients in this community to have access to quality doctors without having to drive long distances,” stated Martha McCormick, CEO at Unity Medical Center. “We continue to strive for programs like these to ensure that rural healthcare in Coffee County is strong and our residents have access to lifesaving care.

“For our patients to have instant access to a prestigious specialist such as Dr. Wray right here in Manchester is a great step forward for our community. We are thankful for him and TriStar Centennial for this partnership.”

Dr. Wray has been practicing with the TriStar Medical Group Frist Clinic since 2007, focusing on Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.

He will be doing consults for pulmonary telemedicine.

Dr. Wray graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College prior to attending Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN, where he graduated in May 2000.

After completing his residency at Vanderbilt, he served as a Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellow at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Wray has multiple publications and presentations relating to pulmonary medicine and is board certified in Pulmonary Disease, Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine.

Unity Medical Center is located at 481 Interstate Dr. in Manchester, TN.

As of 2 p.m. Monday (April 27), there are now 9,918 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state of Tennessee. There are 4,720 people recovered, leaving approximately 5,198 active cases, 48 more than the prior day. There have been 154,402 total tests performed, 837 hospitalizations and 184 confirmed deaths.

In Coffee County, there have been 33 confirmed cases. There are 10 people considered recovered, leaving 23 active cases. There have been 900 negative tests performed in Coffee County.

Last week, Gov. Bill Lee issued the first steps from the “Tennessee Pledge,” the state’s rollout of guidance and best practices for Tennessee businesses in 89 of the state’s 95 counties to keep employees and customers safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first industries to receive guidance through the plan include the restaurant and retail industries.

“Tennesseans pulled together to flatten the curve, and it is time for people to begin to get back to work and back to their businesses,” Lee said. “We are pursuing a careful, measured approach to reopening our economy that does not depend on heavy-handed mandates but instead provides practical tools for businesses of all sizes.”

Lee underscored the Tennessee Pledge plan for safe economic recovery is supported by data showing Tennessee’s curve of novel coronavirus infections hitting a plateau.

Lee also pointed to the unsettling economic reality COVID-19 has created in our state.
Tennessee has seen the average daily growth rate remain stable for 14 days, in addition to a steady downward trajectory in positive tests as a percentage of total tests since April 1. The state has also had a massive ramp up in testing, including open testing available to all Tennesseans across 33 sites over last weekend, 18 this weekend, and more the next.

On the economic front, 15 percent of Tennessee’s workforce filed unemployment claims as of this week – more than 400,000 people. State officials predict a $5 billion loss in the state’s gross domestic product during 2020.

Lee said last week’s announcement is the first step in a phased reopening of the state’s economy, which entails rebooting industries as they are safe to pursue in 89 of the state’s 95 counties. The state is working with Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Sullivan on plans to reopen businesses in those counties. Lee added that many Tennesseans are facing not just potential sickness but crippling financial hardship, particularly in the service industries.

Lee announced Tennessee restaurants are able to reopen Monday at 50 percent occupancy. Additionally, Tennessee retailers are able to reopen on Wednesday at 50 percent occupancy. The state recommends that employees in both industries wear cloth face coverings and that business owners follow federal guidelines for hygiene and workplace sanitation standards related to the pandemic.

“Like the rest of the country, Tennessee has taken an unprecedented economic hit with families and small businesses feeling the most pain,” Lee said. “We must stay vigilant as a state, continue to practice social distancing, and engage in best practices at our businesses so that we can stay open.”

Lee’s administration assembled the Tennessee Economic Recovery Group, pulling together the state’s departments of tourism, economic development, and revenue, members of the Tennessee General Assembly, and business leaders to safely reboot Tennessee’s economy. The group is chaired by Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell

Ezell said the state’s guidelines for restaurants and retail stores were developed in cooperation with business leaders in both sectors, mayors from across the state, and members of the legislature and health experts, as well as Unified Command which includes the Tennessee Department of Health. He added the reopening of future sectors would be accomplished with similar input from industry leaders and elected officials.

“We need Tennessee businesses, workers, and consumers to step up and pledge to follow these guidelines,” Ezell said. “It is critically important that we maintain our commitment to social distancing and adhere to these new guidelines so that we can continue to reopen our economy.”

Here are a few of the guidelines in place for restaurants to reopen:
*employees wearing face coverings and gloves
*follow daily sanitation protocols
*occupancy to be limited to 50%
*tables to be spaced 6 feet apart
*limit seating to six per table
*bar areas closed
*no live music
*screen customers with basic questions about COVID-19 symptoms.

Guidelines for retail locations include the following:
*limit customer occupancy to 50%
*customers should wear face coverings inside stores
*consider shopping hours for the elderly and medically vulnerable
*establish one-way aisles and traffic patterns
*increase curbside, pickup and delivery service options