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Rule of 8: Nashville’s limit on public, private gatherings goes into effect today

Posted at 6:10 AM, Nov 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-23 07:57:18-05

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville’s “Rule of 8” order goes into effect today, which limits the number of people at private and public gatherings to eight.

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, city leaders are asking people to limit gatherings to people they already live with or in their COVID bubble. This also includes not having more than two households at the gathering.

These rules also apply to if you're going out to eat, with restaurants also limiting parties to eight people starting today.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the change during Metro’s COVID-19 briefing last week, saying it will take everyone's cooperation to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

“Ultimately, Thanksgivings do need to be a lot smaller this year. We need to think again when we're inviting people to social events, including in the private space. The virus does not care whether you're in a public space or a private space. We need to be just as good in private as we are in public,” Cooper said.

Experts have suggested celebrating Thanksgiving virtually if you can. If not, just keep the private gatherings small.