Gov. Lee during his Monday press briefing on COVID-19 announced Executive Order 22, a two-week statewide order to close all non-essential businesses and urge Tennesseans to “stay at home when at all possible.”
“This is not a mandated shelter in place order, because it is deeply important to me to protect personal liberty,” Gov. Lee said during his news briefing. He added, “We need you to stay at home to protect the lives of your neighbors.”
The Order shall be effective and enforceable at 11 :59 p.m., Central Daylight Time, on March 31, 2020, and shall remain in effect until 11 :59 p.m., Central Daylight Time, on April 14, 2020.
The executive order was filed Monday with the Secretary of State’s office.
Immediately after today’s announcement, TSEA Executive Director Randy Stamps issued the following statement, “The State of Tennessee will be issuing details about how Governor Lee’s latest Executive Order 22 affects all state employees. The Governor and his leadership team have handled all issues related to the virus in an exceptionally positive manner and I am sure this latest development will be handled with the same high level of professionalism we have seen throughout this difficult process,”
To view Executive Order 22, click here.
According to the order, state employees are considered essential employees.
Essential Government Functions also means all services provided by the State, the political subdivisions of the State, and boards, commissions, or agencies of government needed to ensure the continuing operation of the government agencies or to provide for or support the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
To view all services considered essential under Executive Order 22, view the attachment at the end of the order at this link: https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/execorders/exec-orders-lee22.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3sKf3DpxOQu8tPlIV3Qdxx60pnakdX_UnY9WSFUHHHhTocjrn5qWlX8zc
For additional COVID-19 info and FAQ’s for state and higher education employees, click here.
