Category: Coronavirus

Whereas the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness or death, and

Whereas, on January 21, 2020, following the guidance of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Tennessee Department of Health designated COVID-19 as a reportable disease in Tennessee; and

Whereas, on March 12,2020, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee started issuing Executive Orders to facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 58-2-107(e)(l); and

Whereas, on March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a National State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and

Whereas, in the judgment of the County Mayor, an emergency currently exists within Fayette County, Tennessee as defined in TCA 38-9-101(2) and 58-2-110; and

Whereas, on March 23, Fayette County issued a Declaration of Emergency to limit the spread of that disease and which have been renewed in seven-day increments; and W

hereas, Governor Lee has issued several executive orders to combat the spread of COVID-19 and the need exists for Fayette County to be able to respond quickly; and

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, THAT, I, Rhea Taylor, County Mayor of Fayette County, by virtue of the power vested in me by Title 58, Chapter 2, hereby declare:

Mayor Rhea “Skip” Taylor

Fayette County has a Face Covering Requirement for COVID-19 effective 10pm Wed., Aug. 5, 2020.

Dear Fayette County,

This past week has seen 97 new cases of COVID-19, an increase of nearly 19%. The percent of tests that come back positive is hovering around 7.5%. Our local rural neighbors are faring even worse. Tipton County has 182 cases for an increase of 20%; Haywood County has 130 new cases for a 55% increase; and Hardeman County has 140 new cases for an 22% increase. Shelby County’s percentage of new cases is like ours but with a much larger new case number of 3,077.

This weekend I received a joint request from Baptist Memorial Hospitals and Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare concerning the wearing of face coverings. Their facilities are being stretched with new cases of COVID-19. They are concerned about treating not only those patients, but others who have serious maladies who will need to be admitted, such as car wrecks, heart attacks, strokes and other accidents. They ask that face coverings be required in public to help them get through this tough time and allow the treatment of everyone who needs attention. They realize this action can only be undertaken in the rural counties through the emergency authority provided by Governor Lee’s Executive order to the County Mayors. These are the same hospitals we take almost all our ambulance patients in Fayette County and most of our intensive healthcare treatments are performed there.

For these reasons I am issuing an Emergency Order requiring the use of face coverings in Fayette County, starting 10pm on Wednesday August 5. This will allow the dissemination of the order through the local papers and social media to everyone in the County. This has not been an easy decision and one I have put a lot of thought into. The goal is to use masks more often in places where there is a strong possibility of the virus being transmitted and to educate people on that goal. For that reason, I am asking any enforcement actions to take that into consideration when encountering someone who does not have an appropriate covering on.

My goal, and I know everyone else’s, is to get through this pandemic. When I finally get guidance from the Tennessee Department of Health or another authoritative source on when this order should be removed, I will announce that. Until then please do your part to help keep this disease in check.

Please be safe!

~Mayor Rhea “Skip” Taylor

 

Be Safe!

Rhea Taylor, Fayette County Mayor

 

Friends,

A lot is starting to happen as we move into opening the County.  Last week, restaurants and retail started to open again.  This week hair and nail salons are supposed to open, but at the time of this letter the Governor has not changed the executive order allowing it.  With many people going into Shelby County, we must keep watch on what they are doing.  They are starting to open also, but with restrictions that are not required in Fayette County.  The restrictions and regulations that oversee Fayette County are coming out of the Governor’s office.  The best place to see how those may affect you are to go to www.tn.gov and look at the “COVID-19 Information and Resources” on the main page.

As we have gotten further into the pandemic, our ability to test for the disease has increased.  The Fayette County Health Department is offering free testing to anyone who wants one.  They are currently seeing about 40 to 50 patients through a drive-thru process each day.  This works out to about 2% of our population being tested per month. I want to encourage anyone who is in a business that deals directly with people to follow the Governor’s guidance and be tested.  The wait time is low, and results are usually back in 2 to 3 days.

I renewed the emergency order for the county for another week.  County offices will be at full staff but contact with the public will be under operational restrictions.  Please call the office you need to visit to see how they are operating prior to a visit.  Their contact information is on the County’s website, www.fayettetn.us .  Check on social media for daily information.

Be Safe!

Rhea Taylor, Fayette County Mayor