Welp, hopefully it isn’t too late to cancel that 4th of July trip you booked to Nashville.
Beginning this Friday, July 3rd, all bars will be forced to close their doors for at least the next two weeks. Restaurants, gyms, and other businesses will need to operate at a 50% capacity, retail stores at 75% capacity and gatherings must limited to 25 people. The city’s popular 4th of July fireworks display, often touted as one of the best in the country, has also been canceled.
According to the Tennessean, Mayor Cooper “singled out bars as an infection risk in the city, saying they were responsible for a “record-number” of new cases this week.”
And when bars finally do reopen, they will now have to close the doors at 10 pm and all patrons must be seated. Also, masks must be worn at all times in public.
Beginning Friday, July 3, Nashville will revert to a modified version of Phase 2. Moving forward, bars must close for a minimum of 14 days, restaurants, gyms and high-touch businesses may open at 50% capacity, retail stores at 75%, and gatherings will be limited to 25 people. pic.twitter.com/bpBfxdfpOs
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) July 2, 2020
However, there is some good news.
The Nashville DA’s office has said that they will no longer prosecute petty marijuana possession. According to News Channel 5, anything less than a half an ounce will not be prosecuted.
“Marijuana charges do little to promote public health, and even less to promote public safety,” District Attorney Glenn Funk said Wednesday in an announcement on the policy change. “Demographic statistics indicate that these charges impact minorities in a disproportionate manner. This policy will eliminate this area of disproportionately in the justice system.”
You heard the Mayor…
Stay home, smoke up.
I support the DA’s decision to stop prosecuting minor marijuana offenses in Davidson County. We need to continue working to ensure that people have access to drug treatment and that we are doing everything we can to keep nonviolent young people out of the criminal justice system. https://t.co/zvPKShMrn5
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) July 1, 2020
