Whether Governor Bill Lee signs the proposal into law or it survives federal pre-emption contained in the Biden administration OSHA ETS (above) remains to be seen, but Tennessee lawmakers plowed onward and passed a statewide ban on masks and vaccine mandates. The legislature concluded its special COVID-19 session by sending the ban on to the governor’s desk. If signed into law, it will exempt most Tennessee residents from any vaccination mandates issued by government entities, private businesses or schools. Further, it provides that no government bodies or public schools may require face coverings unless the county reaches a certain criteria for COVID case count – that being a rolling average 14-day COVID infection rate of at least 1,000 per 100,000 residents. For context, no county is currently at that threshold, nor has Tennessee hit the criteria as a state during any of the surges.