MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee issued a “stay at home” order which means now all Tennesseans must remain at home except for essential business due to the coronavirus. The move is a step above his previous "safer at home " order which only strongly encouraged people to remain home.
Lee also made a big announcement regarding where the first overflow hospital in Memphis will be built. Lee said the state would be building an overflow hospital at the Gateway Shopping Center. Lee said they are finalizing the other locations in Memphis. The Gateway Shopping Center is located on Jackson Avenue in North Memphis.
At Thursday’s news conference Lee announced FEMA approved Tennessee’s emergency major disaster declaration which will help the state add additional 7,000 hospital beds.
Lee said he also put a call out to all furloughed healthcare workers saying they will be needed to step in when the surge hits Tennessee.
Lee said he made the decision to issue the stay at home order because he looked at state traffic data and cell phone data collected from a third-party company. He says it showed for the past few days people were not staying at home. Travel was trending back to pre-COVID-19 levels, so he made the decision to issue the order. Lee says he can only issue the order but it's up to Tennesseans to follow it.
“It is more important today than ever. We have a very difficult situation ahead of us but every one of us can do something about it. We can choose to separate, We can choose to social distancing. We can choose to adhere to the guidelines and requirements."
Lee said the state has given direction to local law enforcement regarding people who violate the order and police have been given authority to enforce it.