Governor Bill Lee says Tennessee is open for tourists

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Governor Bill Lee encouraged visitors to come to Tennessee to boost the state's tourism industry.

The governor tweeted that the state was open. In a video, he asked people to come to the state as he stood in downtown Broadway.

Metro Nashville still is under a mask mandate, and some don't agree with the governor about reopening.

“As usual, the Governor is abdicating real leadership in the midst of this crisis. At a point when we are finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, Governor Lee wants to invite partiers to Nashville and leave it up to the city to try and police common sense social distancing rules and mask mandates. We should be prioritizing putting vaccine shots in arms instead of welcoming revelers to Broadway,” said Democrat Caucus Chairman Representative Vincent Dixie.

State legislative Republican leaders said they believe the governor is right. Businesses have been hurting for a long time because of the pandemic.

"I think when you look at the figures, the amount of people who are testing positive is going down. The number of people that are hospitalized are going down," said Lt. Governor Randy McNally. "The death rate is going down. I think it's trending in the right way and we're doing all that we can to get the vaccinations in the arms of people."

The Governor also tweeted he was looking forward to tourists arriving in the spring.