WBIR reports that the Knox Co. Health Department announced phase 2 of reopening will begin Tuesday, May 26th.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs provided the following statement regarding local Phase 2 reopening plans, additional information for which is to be presented by Dr. Buchanan during the Knox County Health Department’s regularly-scheduled 12:30 p.m. press conference today.

“I want to applaud Dr. Buchanan, her team and the citizen volunteers of the Knoxville-Knox County Reopening Task Force for their dedicated service and guidance. I feel the plan they’ve developed balances the needs for both healthy people and a healthy economy. I’m looking forward to their release of some of the guidance for Phase 2 this afternoon as it will enable our community to move forward and get more people back to work. It’s important that we continue pushing ahead as a unified community as Phase 2 gets fully underway.”

Full, industry-specific details of Phase 2 will be released by KCHD on Friday, May 22.

Mayor Kincannon statement on Phase 2 reopening-

“I am grateful to Dr. Martha Buchanan, the entire team at the Knox County Health Department and task force members for putting the well-being of our community ahead of politics. These smart, science-based decisions are crucial as we move through this pandemic.

"I also want to thank the people and businesses of Knoxville. We are able to move from Phase One to Phase Two because of everyone’s effort to follow the five core actions that limit transmission of this virus: washing hands, physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings, sanitizing surfaces and staying home if sick.”