BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Ed Mitchell, the Blount County Mayor, said that his wife tested positive for COVID-19 in a post on Facebook Tuesday.
He said that his wife, Kim Mitchell, tested positive after be insistent her entire family wear masks. Her only symptoms are difficulties tasting and smelling things.
He urged people to follow all recommended precautions to stay safe from COVID-19, including wearing a mask, limiting trips to essential business only practicing proper social distancing. He also said that community spread is present in Blount County.
"The repercussions of this pandemic are personal to me and to my family," Mitchell said. "Every decision I make in my role as Mayor is made with the County’s best interest in mind, and that includes my family."
As of Sunday, July 19, Blount County confirmed 502 cases of COVID-19 with 249 active. It also confirmed 6 deaths due to the coronavirus.
On July 8, Mayor Mitchell said that he had no plans on issuing a mask mandate in the county.
"Taking on responsibilities that are outside of the role of the Executive Branch as a reaction to this pandemic sets a precedent that will have unintended consequences in the future, the full extent of which nobody knows," the mayor said in the post on Facebook. "This is a health crisis, and it needs to be handled by health officials."