As coronavirus rages worse than ever, Tennessee leaders forge ahead with reopening

Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville Mayor John Cooper are marching forward with plans to reopen businesses and lift coronavirus restrictions, despite a worsening outbreak infecting, hospitalizing and killing more Tennesseans than ever before. Lee and other state officials said Tuesday they are monitoring the spread of the coronavirus and developing “hot spot plans” for counties where infections were surging. But the governor didn't provide specifics on if, or when, he would reverse the reopening of the state. When asked if his administration was treating the outbreak with an appropriate seriousness, Lee maintained they were not underestimating the virus. “There is a genuine understanding that COVID-19 is a serious public health crisis for our state, and we take it seriously every single day ... We are encouraged that we have one of the lowest death rates per capita in the country, but every single death is a very serious issue for me,” Lee said.