NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Mayor John Cooper announced Nashville will move back into a modified version of Phase Two of the city’s road to reopening plan.

“Beginning Friday, July 3rd, and for the next several weeks at least, Nashville will revert to a ‘Phase Two with modifications’ of the ‘Roadmap for Reopening Nashville,” explained Mayor Cooper in a release.

Under the new order, bars must remain closed for a minimum of 14 days. Restaurants, gyms and high-touch businesses may open at 50% capacity, retail stores at 75% capacity and gatherings must be limited to 25 people.

Basketball courts, dogs parks, splash pads, skate parks, and recreational sports leagues will remain open in Phase Two.

“The modified plan is tailored on what we’ve learned through contact tracing investigations over the past several weeks. It is in response to sharp recent case increases and clustering of cases. Four of our six health metrics for Reopening Nashville are green. Our transmission rate is yellow, between 1.03 to 1.16, but our 14-day rolling daily case average is red. Today’s new confirmed case count is 608, a record daily high for Davidson County. This means we have to respond as a community to get us back on track. It is clear that adding any public health risk is inappropriate for Nashville at this time. So, we’ve directed the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation to cancel its fireworks display on Saturday evening. New cases are rising in 36 states – unfortunately, including here in Tennessee. We stated at the outset of our phased economic reopening, a spike in cases would result in the public health decision to impose more restrictions on our reopening, and we are. In this modified next phase, many socially-driven businesses and activities that opened in Phase Three will be temporarily closed, including event venues and entertainment venues. To be clear, our limit on gathering size is 25. And restaurants will move back from 75 percent capacity to 50 percent capacity, as permitted in Phase One. It’s worth noting that Nashville’s rate of confirmed cases did decline while bars and restaurants operated at 50 percent capacity in May. Metro Parks facilities opened in Phase Three will remain open, including dog parks, skate parks, basketball courts, and playgrounds. And recreational leagues and pools will still be permitted, as outbreaks have not been traced back to these venues or activities. Of course, we urge you to practice safe social distancing around swimming pools this weekend. Additionally, all bars in Davidson County, known as ‘limited service restaurants’ that derive the majority of their revenue from alcohol sales, will close for a minimum of 14 days beginning tomorrow, which is equal to one incubation cycle of the coronavirus. By observing our public health orders, maintaining a safe social distance from one another, and wearing a face covering whenever possible, we can limit the spread of the disease and help protect each other. Every one of us has an individual and societal responsibility to slow the spread of the coronavirus. It’s up to all of us to stem the tide of this disease so that we can continue our economic recovery while saving lives.”

Mayor John Cooper

The downtown Nashville fireworks display for the Fourth of July was cancelled by Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation.

“After putting together a small July 4th celebration that prioritized the health and safety of our city, we have decided to cancel the short fireworks show we had planned for downtown,” explained Buch Spyridon, President and CEO of NCVC.

“While we are disappointed, the significant increase in COVID cases this week made it clear that we needed to take any steps possible to discourage crowds from gathering. We hope everyone will have a safe July 4.”Click here for more

Metro Nashville Public Schools released a statement following the announcement, which reads:

“The announcement by Mayor Cooper today puts into greater focus the reality that COVID-19 is still very much a public health threat and is going to be a factor in our lives for the foreseeable future. Planning for the 2020-21 school year has been underway for months, with our teams meeting all day every day this week to finalize policies and protocols that will allow us to successfully open Aug. 4. Our goal has been to offer in-person classes and virtual options for those families who want it, but we will also be prepared for the possibility that in-person classes can’t happen at the start of the school year due to COVID-19. Whichever scenario we are in, offering a rigorous, high-quality education with explicit expectations and requirements is a non-negotiable. We plan to do so in a way that addresses the social-emotional needs of our students and recognizes the difficulty and challenges that these times have presented to our families and staff.”

Metro Nashville Public Schools