The big news in Tennessee Friday is the announcement of guidelines which allow restaurants and retail businesses to begin a gradual re-opening next week.
In Tipton County, it’s the sad news that the Covington BBQ Festival, which is in its 48th year and is considered the world’s oldest, has been cancelled due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was scheduled for May 28-30.
“It’s a tough decision, but it’s the right decision,” said Covington Mayor Justin Hanson.
The event cannot be rescheduled for later in the year as it is sanctioned by the Memphis Barbecue Network, which hosts one event at a time. The calendar, said Hanson, fills a year ahead of time.
“We’ll be back next year on June 3-5,” he said.
The Town of Atoka had to cancel its BBQ Festival, another MBN-sanctioned contest scheduled for earlier this month, as well.
Most of Atoka’s parks are open.
Nancy Lane Park, Walker Park, and Adkison Park are open for walking and getting exercise. The areas of the parks that are not open include playgrounds, bathrooms and sports fields.
Additionally, Pioneer Park is currently closed completely due to construction. The town hopes to have the track and fishing open again soon.
Town Hall after hours group meetings are still cancelled until further notice.
What are the numbers today?
Confirmed cases: 88, which includes 29 inmate at the West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason
Average increase in confirmed cases per day: 2.4
Testing
Tipton Countians tested: 1,082
Number negative: 994
If you’d like to be tested, check out our list of testing sites.
Recovery and hospitalization
Number of Tipton Countians recovered: 41 (due to a request, we have added these to our daily graphic)
Number hospitalized at Baptist-Tipton: 0
With 88 confirmed cases and 41 reported recoveries, this means there are at least 47 active cases of COVID-19 in Tipton County.
Author: Echo Day
Echo Day is an award-winning journalist, photographer and designer. She is currently The Leader's managing editor.
