Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron has extended the face covering order through September 30th. 

The original mandate would have expired at 11:59pm Saturday evening, but the mayor's office issued the news of the extension before it expired.

On Friday, (August 28), Governor Bill Lee issued Executive Order 59, extending the time frame for local mayors to impose a mask mandate for their counties through September 30, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Mayor Ketron said, "During the month of August, we saw the County’s numbers trending downward. In just a short period of time, our recovered cases rose above our number of active cases, a trend that has continued since the end of July. We are no longer third in the state for positive cases. These are all very optimistic indicators.”

He continued, “We are appreciative of the community’s patience as we navigate this ongoing health situation and strive to make considerate and informed decisions aimed at keeping our citizens and visitors safe and healthy.”