Follow this link for the Blount County COVID-19 Vaccine Waiting List form
While the vaccine supply is limited, the vaccine is available in all 95 counties in TN and administered based on individual risk and phases outlined here. Blount County’s present phases are 1a1, 1a2, and 75 years old and greater. Only those who are in these phases and groups may register for vaccination.
Information on COVID-19 Vaccine:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/
COVID-19 Timeline and Executive Orders from Governor Bill Lee:
https://www.tn.gov/governor/covid-19/covid19timeline.html
Blount County Intergovernmental Public Advisory Governor’s Reopening Plan:
A letter from Mayor Ron Palewski to the businesses and residents of Townsend. Please read:
A MESSAGE FROM TOWNSEND MAYOR RON PALEWSKI: PLEASE WATCH
April 1, 2020
Transcript of Video:
Hello,
My name is Ron Palewski and I’m the mayor of Townsend, TN. I am here today to tell you a few things about the City of Townsend, but first I want to offer my sincere condolences to all those who have lost loved ones to the Corona virus. As the pandemic rages and the death toll rises, our prayers and support for each other must grow more passionate. That leads to my request to everyone concerning the City of Townsend.
One of the monikers for our city is ‘the Gateway to Cades Cove’ because of our proximity to its entrance in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Another term for Townsend is ‘the peaceful side of the Smokies’ because we lack much of the commercialism hustle and bustle of our neighboring cities. A vast number of you know those two facts already and that is a major reason why many thousands of you travel to or through Townsend on a consistent basis. Please know that we, as a City, both residents and businesses, genuinely appreciate your patronage. Our folks love this area and honestly enjoy each opportunity to show heartfelt ‘southern hospitality’ to every visitor, hoping to make everyone feel welcome.
That brings me to this painful, but absolutely necessary request. While many Townsend businesses, and even our local government, count on tourism dollars for our economic livelihood, we must consider above everything else the health and safety of both you, our visitors, and that of our residents. Alarmingly, we continue to see vehicles from all over the country, including those areas being hardest hit by COVID-19, even though the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently closed, and the federal government and CDC have issued many travel warnings. With that said, in order to strictly adhere to the Governor’s Safer At Home Executive Order No. 22, we urgently plead that you please delay all travel plans to Townsend for at least three weeks. The mountains will still be here as beautiful as ever, and by then, we hope and pray the spread of the virus will be curtailed and businesses can extend the hospitality they are accustomed to offering and we will welcome you back with open arms. I graciously thank you in advance for your compliance to this request and look forward to having you back as soon as we beat this pandemic!
Warmest regards,
Ron Palewski
Mayor, City of Townsend
COVID-19 UPDATES:
TN Dept. of Health: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html
Blount County Information: https://www.maryvillegov.com/covid-19-blount-information.html
Blount Intergovernmental Information: https://www.blounttn.org/1684/COVID-19-Information
Link to Governor Lee’s Executive Orders: https://sos.tn.gov/products/division-publications/executive-orders-governor-bill-lee
Governor Lee extends Stay-at-Home order until April 30, 2020: https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/execorders/exec-orders-lee27.pdf
MESSAGE FROM LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERS:
