Three things for March 6
1. Lee takes precautions amid coronavirus outbreak
Thursday afternoon, Dr. Paul Conn announced via email that Lee has assembled a task force to monitor the COVID-19 crisis. The group, led by Dr. Debbie Murray, will watch the situation closely and report to Dr. Conn daily.
Conn assured students the campus health clinic is regularly monitoring statements from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Tennessee Department of Health and other governmental agencies.
“I want to assure you that we are vigorously engaged in this issue here at Lee,” Conn wrote. “We don’t want our decisions to be driven by fear or social media, but we do want to be prudent and make decisions that, if necessary, err on the side of your health and safety.”
2. President Trump to visit Tennessee to assess tornado damage
Tornadoes ripped through the Nashville area on Tuesday, March 3, causing millions of dollars worth of damage and taking 25 lives.
Trump will visit Tennessee today to survey the damage. The White House has yet to disclose the details of Trump’s visit.
Trump tweeted earlier this week, “Prayers for all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee.”
3. Cruise ship held off California coast while being screened for coronavirus
Helicopters dropped test kits to a cruise ship waiting to dock outside of San Francisco on Thursday, March 5. The Grand Princess had just returned from a two-week voyage to Hawaii. Out of 2,500 passengers, around 100 will be tested.
A man who traveled on The Grand Princess in February succumbed to the disease on Thursday. Four other passengers from the same cruise have been infected as well.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested the ship stay off the coast until those with COVID-19 were identified.
“The ship will not come onshore until we appropriately assess the passengers,” Newsom said.
Test results from the cruise ship are expected today.
