KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Board of Health voted to extend a curfew on bars Wednesday for two more weeks, 6 - 2. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Dr. Dianna Drake voted against the extension.
Bars will need to continue to close at 10 p.m. in order to reduce the chance for large gatherings and to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. They also are required to follow safety guidelines, such as social distancing.
However, board members also discussed some anecdotes they heard about bars violating safety guidelines.
They said that they received reports from employees at establishments allowing brown bagging, that they were violating safety guidelines. Board members said that the employees felt unsafe due to the bars violating guidelines.
“Regulation is a challenge, it’s hard to ensure compliance and requires a lot from our staff and the cooperation of others," Dr. Martha Buchanan said, a board member and director of the Knox County Health Department.
Much of the meeting on Wednesday was spent discussing a proposal to ensure establishments that allow brown bagging also close at 10 p.m. They decided to discuss it more during the next meeting on Sept. 9, after reworking definitions and clarifying policies in the proposal.
"If the behavior you're trying to stop involving alcohol in a particular timeframe, you need to be clear about that," David Sanders said, who works with the board.
At the start of the meeting, the board spoke with the public as members of the Knox County community gave input on the mask mandate and on other aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. One person urged the board to reopen public computers at the library, so more people will have internet access.
A good majority expressed their concerns about the mask mandate.
"I ask the board lay out a clear plan to Knox County citizens as to when and how the mask mandate will end," said one speaker.
"It pains me to think of a child sitting there eight hours a day wearing a mask and the only opportunity to take it off is to drink water for a lunch break," said another.
Board member Dr. Patrick O'Brien said an end date is still too soon to tell, "I don't think we're there to know that yet. We can't really predict it today."
But Dr. Martha Buchanan said her team has been looking at the possibilities. "We already have our established benchmarks. Take those and if we see decreasing case rates and numbers over a four week period and a decrease in hospitalizations and in deaths."
Donde Plowman, the University of Tennessee Chancellor, also spoke about the university's response to COVID-19. She mentioned that officials are making plans so that Greek-life members can quarantine in-house, after several clusters of cases were linked to fraternities and sororities.
"Students want to be together, and we want them to be together, but we want them to be together in a way that’s safe," she said.
Board members said they want to continue focusing on ensuring compliance with guidelines by educating people about their importance.
