We ARE Hamblen County!
As I watch and hear too much news lately, I continually hear “we are in unprecedented times.” I’m not sure of the age of these writers, but not only is what we are dealing with precedented, it is a somewhat common occurrence every 40-60 years. I think the COVID 19 demands our diligence and best judgement as a community, state and country, but I am never one to buy into the national media’s portrayal of doom and gloom.
As a community, our business and industry diversity equips us to handle situations like these better than most. Of course it will be bad, of course business will hurt, but I 100% believe that our community will land back on its feet much quicker than some of our neighbors. Morristown/Hamblen County is a strong resilient community with strong leadership and these leaders will no doubt ensure our success.
The chamber’s daily activities have shifted greatly the last few weeks and we are quickly learning, filtering, processing and assessing information and data pertinent to our Chamber members. As you may notice, our publications will change during this time to offer a unique mix of services and offerings that is ever changing.
As a community, our strength lies in our citizens. As we all know, this time is very difficult mentally and isolation can affect people differently. Please take this time to call neighbors, customers or clients. If there is a need in our community for anything from food to mental health services, reach out to Chamber staff and we will ensure with the Hamblen County Corona Virus Task Force, these individuals are taken care of. Please continue to follow all CDC guidelines for sanitation and distancing and refer to the US Chamber of Commerce for up to the minute Coronavirus business assistance https://www.uschamber.com/coronavirus. Our local newspaper, www.citizentribune.com is keeping us updated with breaking news regarding the coronavirus as well as business updates and closings. Also, please check our school system website daily, https://www.hcboe.net/, For not only school updates, but updates on the Task Force’s work in the community. Based on the school system’s technology, film media production and staff, our community has relied on Dr. Perry and his staff and they are doing a wonderful job keeping us all informed.