KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said she supported Governor Bill Lee's latest executive order allowing county mayors to mandate masks, in a post on Twitter Saturday.
"On this 4th of July I welcome a united approach to fighting this pandemic," Mayor Kincannon said. "COVID-19 knows no boundaries."
The order said that county mayors had the authority to issue requirements for people to wear masks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The order affected 89 of Tennessee's counties, excluding 6: Knox, Sullivan, Hamilton, Davidson, Madison and Shelby Counties.
The counties not affected by the executive order all have their own locally-run health departments, which have the authority to issue requirements that people wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Knox County's Board of Health voted 7-1 to require masks inside of public spaces starting July 3 after the number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs was the only member to vote against the new policy.