TN House Speaker cautions against ‘second wave’ of COVID-19

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Beware of a ‘second wave’ from COVID-19, says Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton.

“You have to come out of this kind of slowly,” said Rep. Sexton during an interview with WKRN.

He cautions against lifting COVID-19 stay at home orders too early.

“You can’t just start fresh and move about again because there is the potential to have this as a second wave because this is a virus and it will come back until we have a vaccination, so we need to understand that,” cautioned the speaker.

With many businesses ordered closed, the speaker says the record number of Tennesseans filing for unemployment will get help as the state ramps up processing the unprecedented amount of jobless claims.

“The money will be coming,” added Rep. Sexton. “It will be backfilled, so from the time they filed to the time they get it, they will get all those weeks upfront.”

Then there is the COVID-19 money approved by lawmakers in the state budget along with potential future funds the coronavirus fight.

“We also put in $75 million dollars for help immediately and $75 million that will take place on July 1st, so i think that is enough money for the governor for the time being,” said the speaker. “You also have to remember through emergency powers he has access to an additional $100-million dollars from the rainy day fund.”

While lawmakers are in recess after passing the state budget, there’s no firm word yet if they will return to the state capitol this year.

Lawmakers tentatively set a return date of June 1st after recessing in mid-March, but they can’t say yet if that will be kept.