KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The Knox County Board of Health will hold its first meeting of 2021 Wednesday at 5 p.m. via Zoom.
During the last meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 30, the Knox County Board of Health opted to keep current COVID-19 restrictions and mandates in place as new cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise locally and across Tennessee.
At the time, Knox County Board of Health Director Martha Buchanan said testing is down throughout the state, and she believes it's due to people traveling and the holidays.
Buchanan said she expects COVID-19 cases to rise in the coming weeks.
As of Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, 55 people have died in Knox County this year, which is an average of about 4 to 5 people everyday so far this year.
The agenda for the meeting this evening looks familiar.
Members of the community have an opportunity to address the board directly during an open forum.
The same three regulations are up for discussion Wednesday: the mask mandate, the 10 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants and social gathering limits.
Each of those restrictions and mandates are not expected to expire until Thursday, Jan. 21 unless they're extended again.