With the announcement of Friday’s numbers at 2 p.m., Tennessee reported 198,403 total confirmed COVID-19 cases. According to the state, 182,166 total COVID-19 patients have recovered or have inactive cases. Here’s the top six things you need to know for this week:

1| Moore County adds 20 new cases this week. On Friday, the seven day total for new cases in Moore County was 20. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, there are currently 33 active cases in Lynchburg and 189 total cases since the pandemic began. Moore County has experienced a single COVID-related death.

2| Coffee County leads regionally in active cases. Regionally, the active case counts are as follows: Bedford County 78 active cases with 17 deaths, Coffee County 225 active cases with 14 deaths, Franklin County 97 active cases with 10 deaths, and Lincoln County with 55 active cases and one death.

3| Visitation will not yet resume at Lynchburg Nursing Center. Based on new state guidelines, visitation will not resume at Lynchburg Nursing Center just yet. A center must remain new case free for at least 14 day to offer outdoor visits or limited indoor visits. LNC must remain new case free for 28 days to allow essential caregiver visits. To learn more, click here.

4| Governor lifted most COVID restrictions on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Governor Bill Lee lifted COVID-19 restrictions on 89 Tennessee counties including Moore County and the surrounding counties. He also signed Executive Order No. 63 which extended local county mayor’s authority to institute individual mask mandates. He extended the State of Emergency through the end of October.

5| Titans experience multiple positive tests. This week, the Tennessee Titans announced that multiple players and other personnel tested positive for the coronavirus. Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers has been postponed. The club is not allowed to disclose whether the players tested positive or are only quarantining, per a union agreement.

6 | Senator Marsha Blackburn being tested after exposure. On Friday, President Trump announced that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. Moore County’s Senator Marsha Blackburn flew with President Trump to the Ohio debated and stated Friday that she will also be tested for COVID-19.•

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg, Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}