• So … how’s it going? ???
• Last night the Metro Health Department, prompted by a request from the mayor’s office, ordered all bars to close and restaurants to reduce seating by half among other steps to combat the spread of COVID-19. Take-out service is allowed to continue.
• At least one downtown bar owner has said he will defy the order, which might be a bold (read: meaningless) move given the broad latitude granted to cities to regulate such establishments.
• Publix grocery stores are closing early each night to allow staff time to restock shelves and thoroughly clean the store. Several stores have been overrun with people panic-buying basic home goods like toilet paper and hand-sanitizer.
• A man on a Nashville-bound American Airlines flight from Dallas allegedly joked about having the coronavirus, leading to an eight-hour delay for that flight to remove him from the plane and find a replacement crew because the original one refused to continue over health concerns. Moral of the story: don’t be a jerk.
• Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared a statewide emergency because of the virus, easing restrictions on shipping needed supplies into the state and recommending the public heed the advice of public health officials.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center has established a temporary screening area for COVID-19 in the parking garage and implemented policies limiting visitors to the hospital.
• The Belcourt Theater announced that they would remain closed until at least April 9, so please support your local independent theater that depends on donations from the community.
• Public Works offered an update Friday on how recovery from the March 4 tornado, quantifying the massive effort it has taken to restore the roadways and infrastructure from the storms. All but one traffic light is back working.
• The city and state’s wind speed standards for building codes may not be sufficient, experts say with nearly 200 structures were completely destroyed in the tornado.
• News Channel 5 has a map of all the buildings, residential and commercial, that were destroyed.
• The Nashville Scene has a story about how @NashSeverWx may have saved many lives during the tornado because it filled a gap that television stations and other apps were unable to cover because of the early morning hour. The Scene has a full cover story on the tornado and the city’s response.
• The Nashville Predators did not play their scheduled game on Thursday as the NHL joined the NBA, MLS and MLB in “pausing” their respective seasons. In a weird twist, if the playoffs were to start when the season resumed, the Predators would actually hold a spot.
• Predators forward Nick Bonino spoke out on Twitter about the COVID-19 response and urged folks to stay home to reduce the spread of the disease.
• The Tennessee Titans signed quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a four-year, $118 million deal to remain in Music City and likely ending the nonsensical Brady-to-Titans rumors.
• Finally, the Nashville Zoo shared a photo of a baby giant anteater to try and take our minds off … gestures widely.

Photo by Dan Gaken. Want to see your photo featured here?