UPDATED: Coppinger Says County to Reopen on May 1; Mayor Williams Waiting on State Guidelines for Opening

Following the lead of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, in a press conference on Tuesday, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said the county will reopen on May 1.

Mayor Coppinger urged municipalities in the county to follow suit.

East Ridge Mayor Brian Williams said that he will wait for Governor Lee’s guidelines to be released before he makes any decision on reopening East Ridge.

He wrote on his Facebook page: “Once we have the state staged reopening plan and guidelines (expected to be released by Governor Lee this Friday), we will evaluate the plan and guidelines for East Ridge and prepare for facilitating the reopening of businesses.

“We assure you we will carefully follow the State staged reopening plans along with all CDC, Hamilton County and Health Department recommendations and guidelines.”

Mayor Coppinger said that county residents followed government directives during the “safer at home” recommendations implemented last month. He asked to continue with social distancing, hand-washing and other measures.

“If we start to see a significant reversal, we will reconsider our decision,” Coppinger said. “I realize that the COVID-19 has impacted not only our economy but our individuals as well.”

Hamilton County’s COVID-19 statistics (121 cases and 13 deaths) were relatively low, and a testament to citizens’ good behavior, he said.

Coppinger said county officials will publish guidelines and regulations that people must follow as the economy opens up. In order to avoid confusion, he said, the county rules will mirror state guidelines.

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.