Apparently, Gov. Bill Lee doesn’t really believe the COVID-19 pandemic is all that serious. Despite a prime time address Sunday in which he “strongly urged” and made some suggestions, there’s been very little real action. What action there has been reflects a Governor who is not actually all that concerned about the safety and well-being of those in schools.
WPLN’s Alexis Marshall has more:
But a state education department spokesperson tells WPLN News that the newest executive order doesn’t apply to schools.
The governor says that if people must work in-person, they should mask up. “We want you to work safely, and that’s what we’ve been doing with teachers throughout this pandemic,” he said.
However, the state has not required teachers to wear masks. That decision is left up to individual school districts, some of which have declined to require face coverings for students and staff.
So, despite what Lee describes as a crisis in our state, schools will be open for in-person learning and there will be no mask mandate issued by the Governor for schools.
Lee’s failure to lead is evident in our status as among the worst places in the world for the spread of COVID, and now he’s making a series of suggestions but also not applying any new policy to schools.
Bill Lee claims to be taking the virus seriously. His actions suggest he’s just kidding.
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I am a teacher and disgusted by his lack of leadership. It’s obvious that he doesn’t care about us and just wants us to carry the burden of facilitating business. He is such a phony. How can he sleep at night knowing how badly he has let us down? #1 worst in the nation. As long as his Republican business buddies are making money, he doesn’t give a flip about teachers and students.