• Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the “Safer at Home Order” Sunday morning, officially issued by the Chief Medical Officer for the Metro Department of Public Health, that closes all “non-essential” businesses in the county to stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease for the next 14 days. The city has set up a website at covid19.nashville.gov for updates.
• News Channel 5 also has a list of what would be considered an “essential” business under the order.
• Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has issued an executive order closing dine-in restaurants and gyms across the state to try and curb the outbreak. In that same order, he allowed restaurants to offer sealed “to go” orders of alcoholic beverages.
• Personal finance personality Dave Ramsey’s company will keep its office open in spite of a staffer testing positive for COVID-19 according to an email sent to everyone in the company.
• Nashville’s Beer Board voted Friday to allow beer delivery in the county, which was previously restricted to wine and liquor.
• A coalition of Tennessee’s doctors are demanding a statewide “stay at home” order or run the risk of overwhelming hospitals across the state. Neighboring Kentucky has been faster with those orders and have seen a lower rise in newly reported cases.
• The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and FEMA have suspended their field operations for tornado relief because of virus concerns, moving those operations to online and telephone-based support for residents still reeling from the March 3 disaster.
• A second person has died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after contracting the the novel coronavirus. Two other people remain hospitalized, while 143 treated are self-isolating at home.
• VUMC has also release a statement that the hospital beds in a temporary area of the parking garage are for intake purposes and screening purposes and not “overflow” as widely rumored on social media.
• Tennessee now has 505 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with Davidson County accounting for 167 of those cases. Nearly a third of those with the disease are between the ages of 21-30.
• A Tennessee State University student has tested positive for COVID-19, the first case at that institution. Universities across the state have moved to online-only classes for the remainder of the spring semester.
• Police and the FBI are investigating a suspicious package sent to a Brentwood couple that resulted in chemical burns when handling what appeared to be M&Ms.
• Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill says he has “unfinished business” in Tennessee after accepting his four-year $118 million deal last week.
• It is an extraordinarily difficult time for Nashville’s restaurants, but those that are soldiering on are featured in the Nashville Scene’s annual Food and Drink Issue.
• The city’s record stores are also trying to adapt to an uncertain future by adding curbside pickup and home delivery.
• The Nashville Humane Society is offering a drive-thru food bank for those in need of pet food from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m Sundays and Wednesdays through April. The service had started for tornado victims.
• Yesterday was the first time many houses of worship had to adjust to the new realities during the public health crisis, turning to online broadcasts or listening in while in their cars outside.
• Fitness instructors are also coping with the closure of local gyms by switching to teaching online courses via videoconferencing software.
• Dozens of flights in and out of Nashville International Airport have been canceled if for some reason you still had travel plans in the  middle of all this.
• Arnold’s, a popular eatery among your Nashvillest staff, has set up a fundraising page for staff laid off because of the sudden closure of restaurants.
• Nashville’s WeGo Public Transit will continue to operate, with more frequent routes and additional vehicle cleanings to reduce the spread of the virus.
• As we try to take our minds off all of this for a second, here are pictures of baby porcupines from the Nashville Zoo.

Photo by Tom Frundle. Want to see your photo featured here?