Email
Print
UPDATES:
Legal Aid Society: The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee told WGNS they are trying to determine how they will conduct their free legal clinic in Rutherford county.At this point, the answer as to how they will move forward with that event and others is unclear. The organization stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic has called into focus a need for flexibility in the way we do our work. Beginning today, LAS staff will be working remotely and moving upcoming events to a digital space to ensure the safety of our community during this time. Like you, the Legal Aid Society (LAS) is navigating the changing landscape day by day." LAS' staff will be working remotely. Their office building will be closed to visitors through the end of March, at which time they will re-evaluate and update both friends and partners. The non-profit organization can be reached at 615-780-7134 or (800) 238-1443.
Boro Yoga: The 4th annual Boro Yoga fest scheduled for this Saturday, March 21 has been postponed and rescheduled for Saturday, April 18. The event will still held at Cheval Manor from 9a-4p.
Churches: Churches are feeling the crunch of being overly cautious and making sure everything is properly cleaned and sanitized.
Central Christian Church has called off classes and the worship Service for 3/22/20.
World Outreach Church did not have services this past weekend and everything "on campus" has been paused until a date that has yet been determined. Pastor Allen Jackson stated...
The Experience Community, a church with a main office and worship center on the Old Salem Road, posted a message to guest, "Given the most recent update from the CDC, we've made the decision to have all services at all of our campuses in an online format only (with no physical gatherings at any of our campuses).
North Boulevard Church of Christ reported, "In response to the array of agency advisories and the continued threat of the Coronavirus, this Sunday, March 22, all North Boulevard services will again be moved entirely online. All campus buildings will be closed this Sunday."
New Vision Baptist on Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro started by taking away pens that were once neatly stashed behind each church pew as a way of reducing the number of people touching them and sharing germs. By the week of March 16, 2020, the church cancelled all weekday events like Wednesday and Thursday night worship at both campuses. The Sunday services will be online only and not on site.
School Cheer: One of the first businesses to shut down due to the ongoing virus threat is a business that serves athletes within our local schools. Premier Athletics in Murfreesboro, which is a facility used by cheerleaders from multiple schools, HAS ANNOUNCED, "All Premier Athletics facilities will remain closed through March 31st." The shut down was originally scheduled to end on March 22nd, but due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the facility decided to remain closed longer.Staff will however post online workout plans and more via FaceBook (link).
Education: The Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City schools are closely watching the progression of the virus and canceled events where multiple people congregate. The local schools will remain closed until April 3, 2020.
Universities like MTSU, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky - just to name a few, have canceled classes and are focusing their effort towards online classes.
MTSU will not have on campus classes for the remainder of the semester and all will be held online. A traditional MTSU graduation ceremony may not occur on campus and an alternative event may be created, but nothing has been proposed or released to the public as of March 17, 2020.
Local libraries under the Rutherford County Library System are remaining closed at this time. Reports indicate the system of branch locations in Murfreesboro, Eagleville and Smyrna originally planned to remain closed up until March 21, 2020, but are now extending that until April 3, 2020. With the closure, all overdue book fees are paused until the branches reopen.
Sports: NBA and SEC cancellations have been in place now for about a week. WGNS has also confirmed that Conference USA has canceled all spring sports competition and championships due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
TSSAA postponed BlueCross Basketball Championships due to the COVID-19 virus. The postponement came at the conclusion of the girls' state basketball tournament quarterfinal on March 12, 2020. Officials with TSSAA stated on their website, "Whether we will be able to reschedule these events will depend on the length of the suspension and the availability of facilities." Reports indicate the athletic association will aim to have basketball tournaments this May and Spring Fling in June.
Retail Food: Grocery stores in Rutherford County are refraining from staying open their regular business hours as products continue to be sold in higher than normal quantities.
ALDI told WGNS, Effective immediately, all ALDI stores across the U.S. will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. While some stores may still find it necessary to institute temporary closures during the day, these new operating hours will help ensure that we can keep our stores clean and stocked."
Walmart announced, "Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice. This will help ensure associates can clean and stock products. Stores operating under more reduced hours will keep current hours of operation."
Kroger stores in Rutherford County report that stores will be operating under reduced hours, from 6AM to 10PM at most locations.
Locally owned and operated JR's Foodland off the Murfreesboro square is keeping regular store hours at this time (323 E Main St, Murfreesboro, TN 37130). Those hours are from 7am to 8pm Monday - Saturday and 7am to 7pm on Sunday.
Dollar General announced, "Dollar General is strongly encouraging that the first hour of operations each day be dedicated solely for the shopping needs of senior customers, who are one of the groups most vulnerable to the COVID-19 coronavirus." Furthermore, the chain will be closing all stores one hour earlier than normal until further notice.
Locally owned Subway restaurants in Rutherford County and Murfreeesboro will close at 7PM, which is earlier than usual unless business is doing well and in that case they plan to remain open until 9PM instead of 10PM.
Hardware Stores: In Murfreesboro and around the U.S., Lowe's is reporting that they have formed a special task force that is working with the CDC. The task force was established before the first person tested positive in Tennessee with coronavirus. Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison stated, "we're increasing the time spent cleaning and sanitizing our stores, especially in our most frequented areas like checkout lanes, restrooms and associate break rooms."
Locally owned Haynes Hardware is open their regular hours this week and serving the community as they always have. Monday - Friday they will remain open from 7am to 6:30pm and Saturday 7am until 6PM (1807 Memorial Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129).
On the Murfreesboro Square, Holden Hardware is open their regular hours from 6am to 4:30pm Monday - Friday and 8 to noon on Saturday.
Home Depot is also taking extra steps to maintain a cleaner than normal atmosphere. The company that is based in Atlanta, Georgia posted on their media news page, "We have temporarily paused our in-store Workshops."
Hotels: The Hilton operates under a total of six names in Murfreesboro... Hilton Garden Inn, Tru by Hilton, the DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Home 2 Suites and the Hampton Inn and Suites. In an email from Chris Nassetta, the President and CEO of Hilton, he said, "In response to the coronavirus, we have taken additional measures developed in consultation with global and local public health authorities (including the WHO and CDC) to make our cleaning and hygiene protocols even more rigorous." Nassetta went on to state, "We have activated our regional and global response teams to provide around-the-clock assistance to our hotels and are prepared to act swiftly should we be alerted to a case of coronavirus at one of our properties."
BELOW: As of 6PM on March 18, 2020 from the TN DEPT. of HEALTH
WGNS will continue to follow the changes and how it impacts local residents and businesses. Feel free to email WGNS what your business is doing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (news@wgnsradio.com).
ADVERTISEMENT
