The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Tennessee on March 5, 2020. As of June 5, 2022, there were 2,023,815 confirmed cases, 26,103 deaths, and 12,825,885 reported tests.
As of June 9, 2022, Tennessee ranked 21st by number of confirmed cases, 35th by number of deaths, and 44th by number of deaths per capita in the United States.
As of June 9, 2022, Tennessee has administered 10,145,126 COVID-19 vaccine doses and 55.81% are fully vaccinated.
Timeline
March 2020
On March 5, the first case of COVID-19 is reported in Tennessee, in Williamson County. The patient was a 44-year-old adult man and resident of Williamson County who recently flew on a nonstop flight to Boston through Nashville's airport.
On March 12, Governor Bill Lee issues an executive order declaring a state of emergency until May 11.
On March 16, Nashville mayor John Cooper forces bars to close in Nashville and Davidson County and imposes limitations on restaurants. Governor Lee asks schools to close by March 20.
On March 19, Fiona Whelan Prine, wife and manager of country folk singer-songwriter John Prine announces that she has the coronavirus. On March 26, John is admitted to the hospital after developing sudden onset of COVID-19 symptoms. On April 7, John dies, while Fiona Whelan Prine announces she has recovered.
On March 20, the first death is reported in Nashville.
On March 22, the University of Tennessee reports its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The case involves a staff member and is confirmed by the Knox County Health Department.
On March 23, Memphis mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County mayor Lee Harris issue "stay at home" executive orders that take effect for Memphis and Shelby County the following day.
On March 26, Middle Tennessee State University confirms an on-campus student tested positive for COVID-19 and is being supported by MTSU Student Health Services.
On March 29, country music artist Joe Diffie dies in Nashville due to complications from the coronavirus, according to his publicist.
April 2020
On April 2, Governor Lee issued a "stay at home" executive order for the entire state, effective through April 14. On April 13, he extended the order through April 30. Two days later, Governor Lee recommended that all Tennessee schools close for the rest of the 2019–2020 school year.
On April 20, 150 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville, a number that quickly rose as more tested positive over the next days.
On April 27, there were 576 positive cases at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex.
Lee confirmed the "stay at home" executive order would expire on April 30, and the majority of businesses would be able to reopen the following day, May 1.
May 2020
On May 1, around 1,000 inmates and staff tested positive for COVID-19 at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, leading to a significant jump in the state numbers for that day.
On May 7, a study conducted by Harvard's Global Health Institute in conjunction with NPR listed Tennessee as one of nine U.S. states that was doing enough testing to successfully control its coronavirus outbreak.
On May 10, Hancock County became the last county in the state without any confirmed cases of COVID-19 after Pickett County reported one case.
On May 15, the state of Tennessee announced Phase 2 of reopening, set to start May 22. This applied to 89 of Tennessee's 95 counties (all but Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Shelby, and Sullivan). Knox County mayor Glenn Jacobs announced that Knoxville would follow the state's guidelines. Dollywood announced it planned to reopen "soon".
On May 19, every county in Tennessee was confirmed to have had COVID-19 after Hancock County reported a case.
On May 26, it was reported that all employees of a single farm in Rhea County (nearly 200 people) had tested positive.
June 2020
On June 19, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed House Resolution 340, introduced by James Van Huss, resolving that the "mainstream media has sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas."
On June 22, the Westmore Church of God in Cleveland held a three-hour regional worship service for several hundred people. At least a dozen people attending the event tested positive.
On June 29, "at least 164 children living in facilities operated or licensed by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services have tested positive."
July 2020
On July 3, Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order giving authority to Tennessee's 89 non-metro counties with no locally operated health departments to enforce mask-wearing mandates in their counties.
On July 10, State Representative Kent Calfee, a Republican from Kingston became the first member of the Tennessee General Assembly to test positive for COVID-19.
On July 12, the pastor of the Westmore Church of God said that "the church should have taken masks more seriously as a precaution." The church had stopped tracking the number of confirmed cases in its congregation.
On July 17, three elderly church members who attended a June 21 service at the Westmore Church of God had died of Covid.
On July 23, there were 7,572 school-age children in Tennessee with a COVID-19 diagnosis. This number was thought to be an undercount of cases, as children are not routinely tested. Six counties in Middle Tennessee counties were in the top 10 for juvenile cases.
On July 29, Dr. Fauci warned that there were early signs of an impending outbreak in Tennessee, and that 93% of Tennessee's counties had a transmission rate "above the threshold."
August 2020
On August 5, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that "fear of COVID-19" was not a valid excuse for Tennesseans to vote-by-mail in the coming November elections, countering the injunction of Nashville judge Ellen Lyle mandating a COVID-19 excuse as a reason to apply for a absentee ballot.
On August 10, a church in Athens closed after several church members tested positive.
On August 12, two nursing homes in Johnson City and Greeneville reported at least 78 cases.
On August 13, the University of Tennessee had 20 cases among students, 8 cases among staff, and 155 people self-isolating due to potential exposure.
On August 15, five Middle Tennessee counties had closed individual classrooms or entire schools due to individuals with symptoms or exposures.
On August 18, the University of Tennessee reported 75 active cases, and had traced one cluster to an off-campus party.
On August 31, there were 965 positive cases at the South Central Correctional Facility in Wayne County.
September 2020
On September 3, 1,144 people incarcerated at South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton had tested positive for the virus. The total number of deaths among people incarcerated in state prisons was 14. Another round of mass testing began for all state prisons. 312 Tennessee Department of Correction employees had tested positive for the virus, and one had died.
On September 9, University of Tennessee had 660 cases, and 990 students self-isolating or in quarantine. Students in Massey Hall were required to move out, so that their rooms could be reallocated to students requiring isolation.
On September 17, WZTV (Fox News Nashville) reported that the mayor of Nashville, John Cooper was shutting down and severely limiting the capacity of bars and restaurants during the July 4th weekend due to a mere 80 coronavirus cases linked to bars. As a comparison, more than 1,000 coronavirus cases in Nashville were linked to both construction and nursing homes. The mayor's office was falsely reported to have actively deceived the public on the number of coronavirus cases linked to bars and restaurants. Bar owners considered this particularly egregious as the "night life economy makes Nashville go" and these restrictions have caused Music City musicians, sound engineers, and bartenders to be "thrown out".
October 2020
On October 22, Williamson, Wilson, and Sumner Counties reinstated mandates requiring residents to wear masks in public.
November 2020
On November 17, the day after Moderna announced its coronavirus vaccine reduced the risk of coronavirus infection by 94.5 percent, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that Vanderbilt University Medical Center, among others, worked on this vaccine. Additionally, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that prominent country artist and Tennessee resident Dolly Parton helped fund research at VUMC for this vaccine. Parton said she donated $1 million because her friend, Naji Abumrad of VUMC, informed her that the hospital was making exciting advancements towards a coronavirus cure.
December 2020
In a December 20 televised speech, Governor Bill Lee emphasized his support for mask usage but rejected calls to impose a statewide mask mandate. He made the speech following reports that Tennessee was experiencing one of the country's worst new coronavirus case rates per person. He explained his viewpoint, saying, "Many think a statewide mask mandate would improve mask wearing, many think it would have the opposite effect...This has been a heavily politicized issue. Please do not get caught up in that and don't misunderstand my belief in local government on this issue. Masks work and I want every Tennessean to wear one." Governor Lee added new limits to indoor public gatherings via his new executive order announced during the same speech. Lee limited all indoor public gatherings to 10 people; religious services, weddings, and funerals excepted from this requirement. Additionally, Lee asked Tennesseans to avoid gathering for Christmas outside of homes and encouraged Tennessee businesses to allow employees to work remotely or require masks for employees.
On December 23, Governor Lee extended Tennessee counties' authority to mandate masks through February 27.
January 2021
On January 2, health officials in Hamilton County sent 75-year-old citizens home after waiting in line for four hours to receive the vaccine against COVID-19, and then they administered vaccines to politically connected family and friends.
On January 29, the state of Tennessee announced it had partnered with Walmart to ensure that it is feasible for all people in Tennessee to get the coronavirus vaccine. Walmart will open at least 20 vaccination centers in its West Tennessee stores.
February 2021
On February 12, Walmart announced that its pharmacies would provide vaccination sites, emphasizing locations with many customers who have limited access to health care.
This included locations in Bristol, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, and Sevierville.
On February 23, the state of Tennessee announced at least 2,400 coronavirus vaccine doses were wasted by Shelby County officials due to an excessive vaccine inventory, poor record-keeping, no county-instituted process for managing soon-to-expire vaccines, and unusually poor winter weather (ice, snow, sleet, frigid temperatures, etc.) during the week of February 15. However, the winter weather was not entirely to blame, as the state claimed the issues went as far back as February 3. As a result, the state of Tennessee will not allow the Shelby County government to distribute vaccine supplies; instead, the Memphis city government, Memphis hospitals, and other clinics and pharmacies would take charge of vaccine distribution and administration.
On February 26, Governor Bill Lee extended Tennessee counties' authority to mandate masks through April 28. Several counties chose to lift mask mandates everywhere except governmental buildings, but continued to recommend masks.
Also on February 26, the state of Tennessee announced that all of Tennessee's nursing homes and "skilled nursing facilities" had received both doses of coronavirus vaccines as of February 24. The state also announced that vaccinations for these people are expected to be completed across the state during the week of February 26. In light of these announcements, the state stopped requiring nursing homes and "skilled nursing facilities" to follow stringent guidelines; however individual businesses may choose to continue to limit visitors and nursing homes that receive federal funds are still subject to federal rules.
March 2021
On March 12, the University of Tennessee, the state's flagship public university, announced it would fully reopen in the fall semester, including doing all on-campus activities at full capacity.