The easing of restrictions on the Stay at Home order is beginning. In Middle Tennessee, Lebanon is one of the first communities to make the announcement highlighting their planned changes. In conjunction with the recommendation by Governor Bill Lee to lift state-wide orders for Tennesseans to remain at home, Mayor Bernie Ash plans to let his Executive Order requiring all non-essential businesses in the City of Lebanon expire after April 30th.

Mayor Ash will meet digitally with the City's department heads on Wednesday April 22nd to discuss plans for Lebanon to return to regular business and move forward in a safe manner. The City's leadership will discuss next steps for reopening Lebanon's economic engines, following the recommendations and timelines outlined by Governor Lee and the Tennessee Department of Health. After April 30th, City Hall will resume normal operations with its staff.

"I greatly appreciate all of our residents and businesses for doing their part to flatten the curve. I also sincerely thank all of the employees of the City of Lebanon for accommodating these unusual circumstances and keeping the city moving forward during these unprecedented times," said Mayor Ash. "I look forward to getting back to business and, at the same time, want to make sure we keep our citizens safe to the best of our abilities."

COVID-19 is still an active concern in the community and residents are advised to use caution and continue to practice preventative measures. Whenever possible, social distancing is still the best recommendation, as is following the CDC guidelines for frequent hand washing, disinfecting shared surfaces, and wearing masks to protect vulnerable populations.

"While I am not extending the safer at home order past the end of April, we are working directly with our major metropolitan areas to ensure they are in a position to reopen as soon and safely as possible," said Governor Lee. "Social distancing works, and as we open up our economy it will be more important than ever that we keep social distancing as lives and livelihoods depend on it."

As residents return to some of their former routines, Mayor Ash encourages everyone to Think Lebanon First by continuing to support local businesses. The City of Lebanon has felt the recent impact of both a devastating tornado and restrictions due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Moving forward, finding ways to safely support our local economy will be important in helping many residents recover.