Update (6:00 p.m.): The Metro Board of Health voted unanimously to declare a public health emergency.
On Sunday afternoon, Director of Health Michael Caldwell mandated that all area bars, including those on Lower Broadway, shut down until further notice. Caldwell also imposed limits on restaurant capacity, limited guest counts to 100 and limited bar service at restaurants to 50 percent of capacity with no standing allowed.
Some honky tonk owners immediately announced their intention to defy the order. Steve Smith, proprietor of Tootsies Orchard Lounge and Honky Tonk Central, among other Lower Broad bars, released this statement.
"We are compassionate with those who have contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus and all who are helping manage the crisis as the entire world addresses the outbreak,” Smith said. “However, a Tootsie’s patron as immediate as last night, mentioned having lived through the polio epidemic and didn’t recall such extreme measures being handed down in history. In response, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Rippy’s, Honky Tonk Central, Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk & Steakhouse and The Diner will continue to remain open to serve the public until such statewide mandate is issued from the Governor of Tennessee."
Ignore this man. Public health experts are in complete agreement on this point.
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Original story: As schools, churches and businesses all around Nashville continue to shutter in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected at least 39 people to date in Tennessee, the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway drew typically large crowds Saturday night. They came despite guidance from the Metro Department of Health encouraging social distancing.
Mayor John Cooper on Sunday called on the health department to take short-term action in bars and restaurants throughout Davidson County, with special emphasis on Lower Broad, calling an emergency 5 p.m. meeting of the board to take action on a declaration of a public health emergency to address the crisis. In an announcement, Cooper noted that the Metro health department "possesses the authority to take extraordinary actions to protect public health."
Ahead of the meeting he asked for private businesses to take the following actions immediately:
- Close bars on Lower Broadway and throughout Davidson County until further notice.
- Limit restaurants to under 50 percent of capacity, capped at no more than 100 individuals allowed.
- Limit bar service at restaurants to 50 percent of capacity with no standing allowed.
In a statement, Cooper praised the businesses already implementing social distancing precautions:
“We also are asking restaurants to take social distancing precautions, including the spacing out of tables for customers. We are encouraging restaurants to remain open as both a measure of social wellbeing and because of their important role in helping to feed our community. We appreciate the businesses, churches, schools, sporting event organizers, and all other organizations that have closed or taken actions on social distancing. These actions are consistent with other best practices being rolled out in Chicago, Washington, DC, New Orleans, and other major cities nationwide. Nashville is a leading destination in both global tourism and healthcare, and it is our responsibility to set an example in keeping our community safe.”
The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corps. and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce released statements expressing their support for the mayor's actions.
Illinois and Ohio state officials today issued statewide orders to close all bars and restaurants through the end of March. No such action has been taken by Gov. Bill Lee, as dozens of cases have been confirmed across nine counties.
