(MURFREESBORO)  Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron announced Monday afternoon that the Rutherford County Face Covering Order set to expire on September 30 will instead be lifted on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. CDT.

In a letter to citizens, Ketron writes, “Your compliance with the order which went into effect on July 22, had a significant impact on our numbers going down. This was hard to ignore. We are encouraged by the data trends and want to continue down that path! This does not discount the fact that the virus is here and not going anywhere anytime soon. Therefore, I am asking that as a community, we revert once more to being #RutherfordResponsible.”

His letter goes on to say, “Multiple opinions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have cited that wearing masks works, though we acknowledge that it could be the combination of wearing masks, washing hands, and other recommended health practices (i.e. social distancing) and not just one specific protective measure. Being #RutherfordResponsible means incorporating all these health practices into your daily routine to continue to effectively slow the spread of the virus in our community.”

Finally, Ketron acknowledges that some community members will choose to mask and others will make the decision not to but implores them to remain respectful of one another. “This does not mean that this difference among citizens should cause discord in the community… Rutherford County is a caring and compassionate community. Do not let this pandemic change that, or you!”

Letter from Mayor Ketron