• PSA: Our friends at the Nashville Scene are having a particularly difficult time without concerts or events to advertise and general ad spending freezing. They do good work over there and could use your support.
• Tennessee saw more than 40,000 people file for unemployment benefits last week, a 20-fold increase from the week prior. The linked story has in-depth information for those seeking help.
• The sudden downturn has prompted a letter from the city’s finance department to department heads, telling them that the budget process has been put on hold while they assess the long-term impacts and expected revenue shortfalls.
• More than 92 residents and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus and two have died at nursing home in Gallatin, Tennessee. Three people at a retirement community in Portland, Tennessee are suspected to have died after contracting the disease.
• The Nashville Fire Department “Ambubus” was called into service to help transport Gallatin residents to a nearby hospital.
• WPLN has an interactive timeline highlighting how quickly the COVID-19 virus has overtaken our daily lives and ground the local economy to a halt.
• While your current fashion may be sweatpants since you’re social distancing at home, the organizers for Nashville Fashion Week have a few ideas of what the next year could mean for what we wear.
• Project C.U.R.E. is collecting unused medical supplies to distribute to hospitals around the country for areas hardest hit by the coronavirus. The first confirmed case was March 5, two days after devastating tornadoes tore through Nashville.
• WSMV has an interview with a couple who are unsure how they contracted the virus but were able to shelter in place with their young children. The woman describes it as fatigue followed by a severe overnight fever.
• The Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered local judges to work to reduce jail populations across the state to limit potential viral outbreaks.
• Belcourt Theater is inviting film lovers to join their “Living Room Film Club” to screen independent films and participate in online discussions with guest speakers.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center is increasingly relying on telehealth appointments, a potential sign of the future for routine doctor visits.
• VUMC has also teamed up with Vanderbilt University engineers to create an open-source ventilator design that could potentially reduce shortages worldwide.
• News Channel 5 has an interview with singer Ken Dorsey, known for his note-for-note Louis Armstrong performances on the streets of downtown Nashville. Dorsey lost everything in the recent tornadoes, but is staying positive even without tips coming in.
• The COVID-19 outbreak has hampered efforts to help Nashville’s homeless population, with aid for assistance groups becoming harder to come by with the sudden shock to the economy.
• The coronavirus has affected every aspect of Nashville’s economy, and the sports entertainment industry is no different with the cancellation of college basketball tournaments and suspension of the soccer and hockey season.
• Country music star Joe Diffie has died two days after announcing that he had contracted COVID-19, his publicist confirmed. Diffie was 61.
• The Tennessean has a long list of restaurants offering takeout or delivery service if the whole “cooking at home” thing has gotten old.
• And finally, through all of this we can still get our favorite beer delivered (even if the World Health Organization recommends against it).

Photo by Chris Wage. Want to see your photo featured here?