Henderson Co. officials react to impact of coronavirus

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — The line for food distribution in Lexington Thursday afternoon stretched down the road. It was one of the biggest of the year, and coronavirus is to blame.

“We’ve been preparing all along for when we got a case, and we expected that we would get a case,” said Henderson County Mayor Eddie Bray.

Communities across West Tennessee are dealing with the shock waves. For Henderson County, small businesses have felt it the most.

“They hope that this does not go on for a long time. They can see the way to make it through a short period of time, but the fear is that if it lingers on, it may cause a devastating effect and they may not be able to make it,” said Lexington alderman Gordon Wildridge.

However, there is some positive news.

“I’ve talked to a lot of restaurants. Talked to one of them today at lunchtime. They say they’re holding their own right now. We’re fortunate that people are going out and continuing to support our local businesses,” Mayor Bray said. “For the biggest part, our people here are social distancing, and they’ve proven that social distancing is going to prevent the spread.”

Both Mayor Bray and Wildridge confirmed they’re working closely with what health officials are saying.

Lexington officials have a big meeting coming up to describe the local response to the coronavirus.

“We have a budget meeting next week, and what we’re going to look at is that we may have to cut back on some other projects to shore up the businesses and help them pull through this,” Wildridge said.

While uncertainty remains, officials stress that this is only temporary.

“This too shall pass. It won’t be this way forever,” Mayor Bray said.

Henderson County currently has two confirmed cases of COVID-19.