GOP Tennessee Gov Issues Statewide Lockdown Order

The Tennessean reports:

Days after issuing an executive order urging Tennesseans to stay at home amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Bill Lee will now mandate the action. The governor’s office said in a news release he would be signing an executive order on Thursday. The order will be effective immediately, said Gillum Ferguson, the governor’s spokesman. It will last through at least April 14.

Lee said the mandate was necessary because there was clear evidence that some citizens are beginning to disregard his earlier safer at home order, calling such actions dangerous. “I want to take a moment to speak directly to every Tennessean,” Lee said Thursday. “April stands to be a very tough month for our state. COVID-19 is an imminent threat and we need you to understand that staying home isn’t an option. It’s a requirement for the swift defeat of COVID-19 in Tennessee.”

Lee last appeared on JMG in January when he signed an anti-LGBT adoption bill into law.