A Message from Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke
This Sunday is Easter, which is one of the most important religious holidays of the year for many people in our region. Our recent executive orders related to the coronavirus strictly prohibit large gatherings of any kind, and this, unfortunately, includes worship services.
This is another deeply sad decision that I have had to confront in the last several weeks: the very things that give us so much joy and life -- community and fellowship, particularly through worship -- are the very things we must avoid now in order to stop the spread of this terrible disease.
I know that the sacrifices that I'm asking of each one of you are very difficult. They certainly are for me. The toughest times we face tend to bring out the best in all of us, though, and the way Chattanooga is dealing with the coronavirus is no different. In the last week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hamilton County has grown by more than 112% and nine members of our community have lost their lives to this disease. It's serious -- and so our response has to be serious too.
If you can stay home, please stay home.
Under the terms of our most recent executive order, you may drive-through a specific drop-off point at your church to make donations or pick-up food and other supplies. Person-to-person contact should be strictly limited, however. For instance, food or supplies should be placed in a car's trunk or backseat, not handed through a window. All congregants, church staff, and volunteers must wear face masks.
I know many of you will miss being with your church family this weekend and I hate asking you to forgo in-person worship and a lot of other beloved Easter traditions this year. Your health and safety matters more to me than anything else right now, though, and I know that this sentiment is shared by every minister, priest, and faith leader in our community. The toughest times bring out the best qualities in each of us, and if we all do our part, we'll get to the other side of this that much faster.
An additional measure of our most recent executive order is to close all daycares and early childcare centers that are not serving essential workers. We know this is a stressful decision for many childcare providers and our Office of Early Learning (OEL) is working with every facility in the city to make sure they understand the order and how it affects their business. OEL Director Ariel Ford did a quick video answering some of the questions we're hearing, you can watch it here.
To be clear, I cannot stress enough the importance of eliminating all non-essential travel throughout the week. Wash your hands. Disinfect and clean your home frequently. Wear your face mask. Stay home.
Thank you for doing your part.