Coronavirus in Tennessee: State reports 310 new cases Sunday

Andy Humbles Brinley Hineman
Nashville Tennessean

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From Sunday, June 7

COVID-19 cases across the state rise by 310 since Saturday

The state health department reported 26,381 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday, up 310 cases from Saturday.

There have been 418 deaths across the state, an incease of one fatality since Saturday.

The state has reported 1,932 hospitalizations, and 17,222 people have recovered.

At least 498,768 coronavirus tests have been given in Tennessee.

Nashville coronavirus cases rise to 6,156, up 124 from previous day 

There has been an increase of 124 coronavirus cases reported in Nashville/Davidson County in the last 24 hours, Metro Public Health Department officials announced Sunday. 

So far, a total of 6,156 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Davidson County. Metro Health officials say there are currently 1,356 active cases.

Two additional coronavirus deaths were reported Sunday, an 80-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man, bringing the death toll to 72.

At least 4,728 people have recovered.

From Saturday, June 6

Cases reach 26,071 across the state 

The Tennessee Department of Health announced Saturday that coronavirus cases across the state had reached at least 26,071, an increase of 551 cases since Friday.

Of those sickened, 417 have died, the department said, marking nine new deaths in 24 hours. 

The department reported that 1,923 people have been hospitalized because of the virus, and 17,124 people have recovered. Over the last day, 199 Tennesseans have recovered.

In total, 491,421 people have been tested for the coronavirus statewide.

Nashville COVID-19 cases rise 132 to 6,032

The Metro Public Health Department officials announced Saturday that there are 6,032 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease in Nashville/Davidson County, an increase of 132 in the past 24 hours.

The confirmed cases range in age from 1 month to 100 years. 

So far 70 people have died after a confirmed case of COVID-19 and 4,480 individuals have recovered from the virus.

From Friday, June 5

Nashville Shores announces reopening date for mid-June

Nashville Shores announced that the waterpark was reopening June 10.

Team members will undergo daily health screenings and temperature checks. If their temperature is over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, they won't be allowed to work. 

Masks are encouraged for guests who aren't in the water or on rides. Team members are required to wear masks. 

From Thursday, June 4

414 cases in prisons 

As of Thursday, 414 state prison inmates are currently sick with the coronavirus in Tennessee prisons.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, 411 of the cases are at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville. Two cases are at Lois M. Derry Special Needs Facility in Nashville, and one person is currently sick at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville. 

Bledsoe County Correctional was the site of a massive outbreak last month, making it one of the top coronavirus clusters in the country, according to data compiled by The New York Times. 

From Wednesday, June 3

After declining cases, more coronavirus diagnoses in state prisons

After Tennessee state prisons saw a break in the explosion of cases among inmates, a cluster has been identified at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville. As of Wednesday, 230 people incarcerated there have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The state has retested the entire inmate population at Northwest Correctional. 

Two people housed at the Lois M. Derry Special Needs Facility in Nashville have also tested positive for the virus. 

From Tuesday, June 2

State suspends mask distribution to counties

Masks provided to county health departments for free distribution have been suspended, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Questions have been raised about a type of product used in the Renfro face masks named Silvadur.

Renfro maintains the type of Silvadur used in the masks meets U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization guidelines. Renfro stated inaccuracies about the type of Silvadur being used in the masks has been reported and misidentified.

The state has suspended distribution to gather further information from independent sources, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

About 3.2 million of the 5 million masks the state purchased from Renfro, have been distributed according to TEMA.

Rutherford County jail COVID-19 cases rise to 24

A Rutherford County Adult Detention Center spokeswoman Lisa Marchesonia confirmed Tuesday that three jail employees and 21 inmates at the jail have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Marchesoni said everyone has been tested at the jail and believes all the positive cases originated from the same source: the jail's kitchen.

No women incarcerated at the jail have tested positive.

One Davidson County inmate positive for COVID-19, 21 have recovered

One inmate in custody in Davidson County is currently positive for COVID-19 and 21 inmates have recovered, according to the sheriff's department spokesperson Karla West.

The number of inmates on restriction is 108.

One employee is now positive for the coronavirus and eight workers have returned to work, West said in an email.

The overall jail population reported on Tuesday is 1,178, which includes 1,006 male inmates and 172 female inmates who returned to custody at the Correctional Development Center-Female on Friday.

For the past four years female inmates were housed at the Metro Detention Facility, operated by Core Civic while the new Downtown Detention Center was under construction.

Cumberland University cancels this year's Phoenix Ball

Cumberland University in Lebanon has announced that its annual Phoenix Ball will not be held this year in response to COVID-19.

The Phoenix Ball is a black-tie gala that raises money for student scholarships. The ball was initially scheduled on June 6, and was later rescheduled to Aug. 1, due to the pandemic before being canceled.

“A great deal of consideration and discussion took place before coming to this decision, and due to the challenges presented by COVID-19, we believe postponing Phoenix Ball is in the best interest of our attendees and our faculty and staff,” said Cumberland University President Paul Stumb.

Ray and Stephanie Hubner’s chair position will roll over to next year’s Phoenix Ball scheduled for June 5, 2021. The theme of “Phoenix Ball: Draped in Decadence, Masked in Mystery” will remain the same, according to the school.

Guests who have already purchased tickets can either receive a full refund, roll over their tickets to next year event, or donate the funds as a contribution to Cumberland.

This year’s Cumberland smaller, outdoor event Patrons’ Party, is still scheduled for July 11.

For more information on the Phoenix Ball, or to purchase tickets to the Patrons’ Party, visit phoenixball.com

For ticketing questions, please email Executive Director of Community Relations and External Affairs Rusty Richardson at rrichardson@cumberland.edu.

From Monday, June 1

PBS educational programming for June-July to continue state partnership 

All Tennessee PBS stations have announced educational programming for children in grades K-3 will be offered in June and July as a second phase of a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education.

The schedule for June 1-15 is (times CDT):

  • 10 a.m.: "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum"
  • 10:30 a.m.: "Peg + Cat"
  • 11 a.m.: "Cyberchase"
  • 11:30 a.m.: "Molly of Denali."

The department of education’s partnership with PBS stations launched on April 6 in response to COVID-19 school closures and included “Tennessee Teaching,” an at-home learning series consisting of a total of 320 virtual classroom lessons providing ELA and Math instruction for grades 1-8.

Lessons are also have companion teacher lesson plans and student packets that are available on the department’s website.

The lessons are also provided on the department’s YouTube page, 20 lessons for each subject in each grade.