City of Jackson, Tenn. Mayor Scott Conger declared a state of emergency Monday morning during a press conference in Jackson City Hall.
There are no positive cases at this time, Conger said. He said 12 tests have been sent in so far, with five or six coming back negative, and the city is awaiting the results on the remaining tests. Conger said he will share the results when they return and will keep the city up to date on new cases in the city or state.
Conger said the declaration is strictly precautionary. It will give the city access to federal funds that will allow the city to make sure they are protecting customers and its citizens, to prevent the act of price gouging and to keep the government going during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conger said he is meeting daily with his City Response Team to discuss how the city is responding to COVID-19 and how the city can keep it from spreading.
Conger said his office also meets daily with the county, hospital, school system, chamber of commerce, Jackson Energy Authority, Emergency Management Agency, and the health department to discuss protocols, not only locally, but regionally, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
All city-sponsored events have been cancelled for the next 30 days. Conger said he is leaving the decision to cancel or go on with events that aren’t city-sponsored up to those organizers at this time.
Conger also said that restaurants and bars are not affected by this declaration at this time.