Tennessee governor shoots down Birx recommendation to close bars at joint press conference

Source: The Hill

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) shot down White House adviser Deborah Birx’s recommendation to close bars and limit indoor seating at restaurants during a joint press conference on Monday.

Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, made her recommendation to shut down bars and limit indoor dining during the press conference, warning that Tennessee was on the verge of rapid COVID-19 spread. She said closing bars and limiting dining helped curb the spread of the coronavirus in Arizona.

“It is at this very moment where we could change the trajectory of the epidemic before it goes into full of what we call logarithmic spread, as we’ve seen across the South,” Birx said.

Shortly after Birx spoke, Lee said he would not close bars, limit indoor dining or give county officials the authority to do so.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/509252-tennessee-governor-shoots-down-birx-recommendation-to-close-bars-at