MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — In Hamblen county, the mayor of Morristown is worried.
"The numbers are headed back up," Gary Chesney said. "I think maybe we flattened those numbers out and then as a group said 'there we did it.'"
But the danger hasn't stopped. One Morristown nursing home reported 14 dead and more than 100 positive cases. Three more people died of COVID-19 complications in the county on Friday.
It's not just Hamblen County. Across East Tennessee, counties are showing spikes in COVID-19 numbers.
Officials said that 20% of all cases of the coronavirus in Campbell County were diagnosed in the past five days. Half a dozen people have been hospitalized in Campbell, Sevier and Grainger counties since October 1.
The State Department of Health reports test positivity rates above 10% for Cocke, Fentress, Loudon, Monroe and Sevier counties.
The World Health Organization said any test positivity rate above five percent is too high, according to Johns Hopkins University.
With more infections comes more hospitalizations, more deaths and more spread.
Morristown Mayor Gary Chesney said he worries people aren't following safety rules anymore.
"I don't know if we've gotten complacent or maybe just frustrated with the sacrifices we've had to make for so long," he said.
A long year of sacrifice not over yet as leaders warn the deadly virus waits for people to let their guard down.
"Mask up, sanitize your hands often and socially distance," Chesney said.
His county, Hamblen, is one of a handful of rural counties that have a mask mandate. Chesney said it has proven to slow the spread of the virus in his community, but he refrained from urging other county leaders to enact similar regulations.
The Campbell County mayor's office did not respond to calls for an interview on Friday.