At a news conference Wednesday, Governor Bill Lee recommended that schools remain closed through the remainder of the school year in order to keep every Tennessean safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said they must also ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child in Tennessee during this time.
The governor added the COVID-19 Child Wellbeing Task Force, led by the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, will work with local communities to support the state’s students during times of school closure and beyond.
In addition to his recommendation for schools, Governor Lee also announced free COVID-19 testing will be available for any Tennessean beginning this weekend, regardless of traditional symptoms, as the state’s Unified-Command Group ramps up an aggressive effort to expand statewide testing capacity.
As of 2:00 Wednesday afternoon, the Tennessee Department of Health reported 6,079 coronavirus cases in the state, including 135 deaths, 663 hospitalizations and 2,196 have recovered from the virus.
In Montgomery County, the health department reported there were 102 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon.
