When prospective tourists visit Nashville’s official website, they are told that Music City is a “good option” despite the continuing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. But the hordes of unmasked visitors that crowd the southern city have left residents and health experts fearful of an increase in new cases and hospitalizations in Tennessee, a state officially considered a “red zone” by the White House. , it’s only going to get worse. .
Nashville is half closed and people don’t notice. They still want to come visit us. They want to party, ”Kirsten Williams, a Nashville travel agent, told FOX17.
A Nashville EMT told the Daily Beast that visitors “seem to forget” that the country is in the midst of a pandemic.
“In the past few weeks, things have definitely improved here, but we are waiting. But I think the biggest concern is that while Nashville residents take it seriously from my point of view (wearing masks, social distancing), visitors seem to forget that a pandemic is happening, “he said. “I don’t want to think about what will happen if things continue like this, I am concerned about these visitors.”
One of the first states to relax virus restrictions in April, Tennessee set records for new cases in July. And this week, the White House said privately that Nashville is seeing such an increase in the percentage of positive tests, it is one of 11 cities that need to take “aggressive” measures, along with Miami, Las Vegas and New Orleans.
In Nashville, where local officials issued a mask mandate in July, the hospital system is beginning to feel the effects of a cascading outbreak from the state’s most rural areas. The Metro Public Health Department reported Friday that only 17 percent of the city’s hospital beds are free. Beds available in the ICU also remain at 17 percent; both figures are well below the 20 percent threshold for the reopening of the city.
Nashville also reported an increase of 294 new cases on Friday, bringing the county total to 19,124 cases. So far, 174 people have died in Nashville, which represents approximately 18 percent of the total deaths in the state.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper withdrew plans for the premature reopening, introduced a mask mandate, and closed all bars in Davidson County on July 2 for two weeks. Earlier this month, the city returned to Phase 2 of its plan, with modifications, and said that restaurants that serve alcohol should close at 10 pm
“If you are upset by these new rules, you are not paying attention,” Cooper said at a press conference on Thursday. “We have to do this together. There is no other way to stop the pandemic. “
But while Nashville has taken extraordinary steps to reduce the spread of the deadly virus, residents are concerned that tourists who crowd the Music City are not.
“Tennessee as a whole, while not a hot spot, is heating up.“
– Dr. William Schaffner
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told The Daily Beast that while Nashville is “hanging” it is not “comforting” to see the tourist district full of visitors who do not adhere to the social distancing or the mandate mask.
“Our general community is on board in masks, but people who visit the center are not as careful,” Schaffner said. “People still go to church services on weekends, the virus will like that group activity as much as a bar.”
He added that other, more rural and Republican counties in Tennessee are also driving the increase in cases. Tennessee is a deeply red state, and cities are comparatively small blue dots. So if you go out of the cities, you don’t see the use of masks, ”he said. “There are many people who have listened to political leaders … and have decided not to use them.”
Lisa Piercey, the state’s health commissioner, also noted at a press conference Thursday that the ongoing pandemic was rapidly spreading throughout Tennessee, particularly in its rural counties. She said 10 cities and 24 counties are now on the state’s “red zone list,” including Nashville, and that the state needs to focus on the “incredibly pressing” issue.
So far, 83 of the state’s 95 counties are operating under unacceptable transmission rates, Piercey added.
Let’s be clear: We are not Florida. But Tennessee as a whole, while not a hot spot, is heating up, “said Schaffner.
The White House, according to a report obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, believes that Tennessee already faces catastrophic consequences of the virus. In a July 14 document from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, public health officials stated that Tennessee reached “red zone” status, meaning there were more than 100 new cases for every 100,000 residents in the last week. Tennessee had about 155 new cases per capita in the previous week, compared to the national average of approximately 119.
“Tennessee has seen an increase in new cases and a decrease in test positivity in the past week,” the report notes, noting that the federal government has deployed FEMA support and medical supplies across the state. Shelby County, Davidson County and Rutherford County account for 50 percent of new cases in Tennessee, he said.
And in a private call with state and local leaders on Wednesday, Dr. Deborah Birx, leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, focused on Nashville. Claiming that Music City is among the 11 cities with alarming increases in positive test rates, a strong indicator that an area is losing control of the outbreak, Birx urged aggressive action.
“When you first see that increase in test positivity, that’s when mitigation efforts begin,” Birx said during the call, according to a recording obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. “I know it may seem small and you can say, ‘That only went from 5 to 5 ½ [percent], and we will wait and see what happens. If you wait another three or four or even five days, you will start to see a dramatic increase in cases. “
However, during another briefing on Thursday, Cooper’s press secretary rejected the White House and Birx analysis, claiming they were operating on “old information.”
“This is not new information. This is old information that Mayor Cooper and others at these press sessions have repeated several times over the past month, that the number of cases has increased, that the positivity rate has increased, and just as we have implemented aggressive measures, including a modified phase Two, including a mask ordinance, ”said Chris Song. “We are starting to see some of those numbers improve slightly.”
Dr. Alex Jahangir, president of Metro Coronavirus Task Force, also emphasized Thursday that the transmission rate has decreased to 1.08 percent in Davidson County, but “new cases have increased and hospitals are treating more patients. with COVID “.
And the Nashville EMT also believed the numbers were on the way to improvement in the city, but residents’ hard work would be affected if local and state officials did not take hard-line action against tourism.
The EMT, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of labor retaliation, said it had seen first-hand how customers in downtown downtown bars do not adhere to the mask mandate or social distancing guidelines, and the owners ” they are afraid to yell at them because they are desperate for the clientele after closing. “
And the influx of tourism, desperately needed after the economy stalled during Tennessee’s stay-at-home request, is already resulting in an increase in the number of COVID-19. According to heat maps released by the city Tuesday, a cluster of cases has emerged in downtown Nashville and southeast Davidson County.
“We need a statewide mask requirement and we need a real emphasis on social distancing and not on groups, and that includes religious gatherings,” Schaffner said.
While Cooper and other city officials have so far made no official comment on stricter guidelines for tourists, Schaffner added that police have made an effort in the past week to remind business owners and customers of the rules. . City authorities on Friday also cracked down on party buses, amending a health order to force “transport” vehicles such as pedal taverns and party tractors that serve alcohol to shut down. They had previously been exempt from restrictions.
But Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has emphasized that he is not considering a statewide mask mandate, despite believing in the importance of wearing masks. During a press conference on Thursday, Lee said that despite the increase in new COVID-19 cases, he is confident that local officials will take a “targeted approach.”
“It has been shown that there is an improvement with the use of masks. It also involves people and gives them the confidence to go out, “said the Republican governor, before adding that” a mandate is simply a mandate. It is not equivalent to wearing masks. ”
“There is great confidence in local leadership,” added Lee. “We believe that such a targeted approach is the best way to get people to wear masks more effectively than a one-size-fits-all statewide mandate.”
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
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