NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee doctors have presented Gov. Bill Lee with a petition from 5,400 medical professionals urging Lee to drop an executive order that lets parents opt their children out of school mask requirements.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the doctors on Friday cited an alarming rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations among teens and younger children.
Several Tennessee school districts have imposed mask mandates as the delta variant is causing case numbers not seen since the winter peak of the pandemic. Lee's executive order overrides those mandates.
Separately, the U.S. Education Department has threatened possible legal action over Lee's order.
