FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Hours after Governor Bill Lee released his guidelines for lifting Tennessee's stay-at-home order, restaurants were already making plans to reopen their doors.
"We were excited, but also still very cautious," Joni Cole said when asked about her reaction to the guidelines.
Cole and her husband, Michael, own GRAYS on Main and O' Be Joyful in downtown Franklin. Both restaurants have had to shift to take-out only during the state's stay-at-home order.
"It's been a big financial hit," Cole said.
While restaurants in 89 counties are able to reopen as early as Monday, GRAYS On Main is waiting until Wednesday to open its doors.
"For us to open on Monday, its a little too soon for us," Cole said. "We want to educate our staff we want to make sure we have all the proper guidelines in place."
Those guidelines were released by Governor Lee Friday morning, and include precautions for owners, employees and customers. Cole said her staff is already working to get in line with those rules.
"Today what we’re doing, we’re going to have a limited menu, we’re going to space out all our tables, were going to completely sanitize everything," Cole said. "We want to make sure that we do all of those so that we keep our community safe and keep our employees safe."
But some state leaders said the Governor's guidelines feel rushed.
"The worst thing that could happen to the economy is that it opens up, and then close back down because we've opened up too quickly," State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) said, adding that the plan to reopen lacked details.
"There was a lot of things that sort of surprised me for not being there," Yarbro said. One of the things he said was missing from phase one of the governor's plan was enforcement of the guidelines.
"At the end of the day, what the governor has done has given suggestions to business owners, when i think most of us right now are looking for a lot clearer guidance," Yarbro said.
According to phase one of Governor Bill Lee's plan to reopen the state, restaurants will be able to open at limited capacity on Monday, and retail shops will be able to open at a limited capacity on Wednesday. The plan applies to all but six Tennessee counties.
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COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES IN TENNESSEE
What is COVID-19 (a.k.a. the new coronavirus?)
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Examples include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 stands for "Coronavirus disease 2019," which is when this strain of the coronavirus was discovered.
What are the symptoms?
The CDC says patients confirmed to have the 2019-nCoV reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
At this time, the CDC believes symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or as long as 14 days.
Prevention
The CDC is recommending "common sense" measures such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
