Tag: Back to Business

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Health Official: Virus Spikes Caused by Testing Surge, Delayed Lab Reports

CREDIT: City of Memphis/Facebook

City of Memphis/Facebook

Dr. Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department during a recent briefing of the Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 Task Force.

Recent high rates of the coronavirus in Shelby County were “alarming“ to many, health officials said here Tuesday, but the jumps were likely caused by high testing days and lags in reporting from laboratories.

More than 380 new cases of the virus were reported Friday, easily setting the record for the highest number of new cases reported in Shelby County in one day. The figure was over 200 on Saturday but was down to 44 on Sunday. The surge in cases made some, like County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, wonder if the county too quickly loosened restrictions on businesses and gatherings.

Dr. Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, gave many reasons for the spikes during Tuesday’s briefing of the Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force, but noted they “were alarming to many people.”

The state, for one, is now reporting probable cases of the virus. These cases include someone who has tested negative for the virus but who is connected to a known outbreak or virus cluster. The county is now beginning to report these probable cases in the overall number of new cases. There are now 16 probable cases of the virus here.

Extensive testing was done on June 15th and 14th, pushing the number of positive cases up, Haushalter said. Saturday’s high figure of new cases contained lab test results from 19 different days, she said, pushing the figure even higher.

Still, Haushalter said community transmission is happening and at a higher rate. The positivity rate needs to be under 10 percent, she said. The number pushed up over 11 percent over the weekend and has come back down since then.

Haushalter said the spikes in cases are not directly linked to the Memorial Day weekend holiday nor the protests against police brutality. She said people are simply out enjoying the warmer weather and are not wearing face masks. However, she did note an uptick of people wearing masks again.

For all of this, Haushalter said the county will remain in Phase II of the Back to Business plan “for the foreseeable future.” If the numbers continue to rise, the county runs the risk of returning to the more-strict Phase I of Back to Business but that’s not what task force members want, she said.

For now, the task force will focus on identifying clusters of new cases and addressing them. It’ll also work on emerging trends in the community that may serve as barriers to people not wearing masks or social distancing, Haushalter said. For example, she said someone may go to work sick if they worry they may get fired or could not pay their rent.

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Health Department Brakes on Phase III

The new Bishop restaurant inside Central Station Hotel

Shelby County will not move into the next phase of reopening the economy here on concerns of rising cases, transmission rates, hospitalizations, and reduced public health resources.

The announcement from Shelby County Health Department officials came Monday afternoon, the day Phase III — the next phase of the county’s Back to Business Plan — was to go into effect. No date was given Monday for when the county might be able to move into the next phase.

Health department director Dr. Alisa Haushalter said decisions to move into the new phases are based on four criteria: trends of new cases, testing, hospital capacity and hospitalizations, and public health capacity.

Sunday marked the most new cases of COVID-19 reported here in a single day over the previous 100 days since the virus response began. The figure is part of a trend, one that was expected after a loosening of rules and the Memorial Day weekend holiday. While case numbers did rise, Haushalter and others considered maybe the county was in a “new normal but we are not.”

“We are seeing significant transmission within the community and if we moved forward [into Phase III] we would have been more at risk,” she said.

Also, health department officials got a sense of concern from leaders at local hospitals during a regular Sunday call about what they’re seeing in their facilities. Early hospitalizations found clusters of patients from area nursing homes. However, new hospitalizations “now represent our community more broadly.”

While the health department is on-boarding more staff to help with investigations and contact tracing, Haushalter said current staff levels are not adequate. Typically, the ability to do contact tracing of new patients is around 80 percent, she said, but that number has dipped over the past few weeks.

Testing capacity is another criteria officials look at to decide to move into a new phase. However, Haushalter said Shelby County has plenty of capacity and that it’s “underutilized.”

In Phase III, restaurants, stores, and some other facilities could have allowed up to 75 percent customer capacity. Gathering could have included more than 50 people. Festivals and parades may have been allowed. None of that is allowed in Phase II, though.

Even as cases spiked last week, Haushalter maintained the county could move into the next, looser phase unless there were unforeseen changes in the data. Rising and unstable figures made prudent the decision to stay in Phase II. Moving ahead now could cause “more damage economically and socially.”

William Kenley, executive vice president for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s Community Group said the rising numbers were “cause for concern.” However, he said local healthcare systems are “ready and available in case of a surge” with hospital capacity, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other medical supplies.

Health officials typically announce moves from one phase to another on Mondays. So Monday, June 22nd, would be the first opportunity to know if we’re cleared for Phase III.

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Health Department Pumps Brake on Back to Business Phase III

CREDIT: Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Volunteers load food into a car at a mobile food pantry.

Shelby Counties and its cities should not open more economic and social activities until at least June 15th, according to the Shelby County Health Department.

On Monday afternoon, the health department issued its recommendation on moving into Phase III of the county’s Back to Business plan. Health officials here delayed moving to the next step last week. Also, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland pushed the city’s move to Phase III to June 16th, next Tuesday.  

“The recommendation comes after careful analysis of data since the move to Phase II on May 19th, 2020,” reads a statement for the health department. “We have seen an increase in daily case numbers, particularly after the Memorial Day weekend. For that reason, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and the Shelby County Health Department have decided to maintain the current COVID-19 response level at this time.” CDC

“Unless there are extraordinary changes in the metrics between now and June 15th, we expect to be able advance to Phase III on that date. But in the meantime, the health department will continue to monitor new cases, positivity rate, reproduction rate, testing capacity, hospital capacity, and public health capacity.”

In Phase III, occupancy limits at now-opened facilities like restaurants and grocery stores can increase to 75 percent. The next phase cracks the door to the re-opening of venues like theaters and to events like parades and festivals. However, those all must meet specific criteria before they can re-open.

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I Went to the Gym. Don’t @ Me.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

Kroc Center

They were open. So I went. Don’t @ me.

The county’s Back to Business plan eked the doors open on many a virus-shuttered business in the past two weeks. I really thought I’d be the first one in line for a restaurant table — any restaurant. But I wasn’t. They just seemed so … confined.

But when my gym announced it would open up last week, it seemed less confined in my mind. My decision to go back to the gym last week was, yes, in part of wanting to get back out there. But it was also a decision to push myself back out there, knowing that I (and all of us, eventually) will have to get back out there at some point down the road.

The invitation from the Kroc Center of Memphis didn’t seem that inviting at first. I knew they were redoing some things. But I couldn’t imagine the weight room reconfigured in any way that would make me feel better about sweating and breathing hard around others doing the same. But the Kroc had done way more than reconfigure things.

The East Parkway gym moved its weight benches, squat racks, dumbbell racks, and more into its vast, green indoor soccer field. Everything was well spaced out and everything was clearly marked. Tape marked easy-to-see boundaries between your bench and mine. The entire, wide-open space and the spongy turf made me feel outdoors and, above all, safer.

The Kroc took many other precautions, too. Workouts were limited to 45 minutes. And the Kroc, like all gyms under Back to Business Phase I, was only allowed to hold 25 percent of its overall capacity last week. (That changed to 50 percent as county officials announced the beginning of Back to Business Phase II Monday, May 18th.)

Upon entering, I found lines on the floor meant to help me stay six feet away from the person in line ahead of me. At the desk, I scanned my member card myself. The mask-clad employee at the desk had me answer five questions about any possible COVID-19 symptoms. I had none. The employee then aimed a plastic thermometer pistol at my forehead. I passed the tests and was allowed to enter that space I love so much.

Black guidance stanchions split the main hall like yellow lines on a city street. Foot traffic moved in one way and out the other. Tape marked even more floor spaces to keep line-standers six feet apart.

My sneakers squeaked across the newly waxed floor of the eerily empty basketball court and onto that spongy green turf. I found all the gym equipment I’d missed the previous two months — barbells, weight plates, and proper pull-up bars.

I wore a mask even while I worked out. None of the others did, though. Originally, I thought this was bogus. Ever seen someone exhale on a deadlift? Talk about condensation droplets! But the Kroc did not require anyone to wear one while they worked out. *Shrugs*

I went to the Kroc three times last week. Each time felt more and more okay. The number of those in the weight area increased every time I went in. But even then, I felt separate enough and safe.

I’ll definitely head back to the Kroc. They showed me that they take this stuff seriously. Their reopening plan felt more like a service to the community than it did for some swift return to the financial black.

In the end, the Kroc’s response did make me feel more comfortable going out in public, even maybe sliding into a restaurant booth again sometime soon.

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Current Back-To-Business Phase to Last Three Weeks

CREDIT: Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Volunteers load food into a car at a mobile food pantry

Shelby County will remain in Back to Business Phase II for three weeks, instead of the planned two weeks, according to county mayor Lee Harris.

Harris announced the timing during Monday’s COVID-19 Joint Task Force daily briefing saying, “we will move forward but carefully and responsibly.”

Every official who spoke Monday — Harris, Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD), and Dr. Bruce Randolph, SCHD Health Officer — all noted “solid progress” or “great progress” has been made in the COVID-19 fight in Shelby County. But, as Randolph put it, “let’s not turn back,” and asked for continued adherence to social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and more.
CDC

Randolph outlined a few new allowances given to businesses and public spaces in the newly announced Phase II of the Back to Business plan. Libraries, hotels, and museum, for example, can now fill at 50 percent capacity. Public gatherings can include 50 people, though those people all need to social distance and wear masks, Randolph said.

The move to Phase II was announced with little fanfare Monday morning. The news came in a daily email rather than a daily briefing filled with public officials. Haushalter said they’ve given daily updates on the figures and gave plenty of signals that they’d be ready to move to the next phase Monday. In looking at all the data, “we were all quite comfortable with” moving to the next phase.

Sunday’s testing took a sharp downturn from daily trends last week as only 688 were tested. (The figures had been above 1,000 for most of the week.) Haushalter said she “was a little bit concerned” about the reduction. She said there may be fewer people with symptoms and so fewer people are seeking tests. Also, there may be less transmission of the virus in the community so there may be less demand.

But she said the national metric for good amounts of testing remains in the testing capacity and not utilization.

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Back to Business Phase II to Begin Monday

Task force officials announced Monday morning Phase II of the Back to Business plan would begin Monday, allowing for more businesses to re-open and for some already-opened business to increase capacity.

The news was expected at today’s daily task force press briefing. But it was delivered early in the daily coronavirus update figures form the Shelby County Health Department.

Task force officials said the decision was based on data from four criteria they watch to monitor the growth of the virus in Shelby County: the growth in new cases, health care systems capacity, public health system capacity, and testing capacity.

Here’s what local leaders said about the decision.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris:

“I am grateful for the hard work and many sacrifices of the residents of Shelby County. We have seen encouraging results because of a collective willingness to do all that we can to reduce the spread and embrace new skills, like social distancing.

Although we still have a long way to go in Shelby County’s fight against COVID-19, we have made substantial progress and are therefore prepared to enter Phase 2. We all played a role in getting to this important mile marker. We all have a role to play to get to the next one.”

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland:

“Over the last 14 days, we’ve been closely monitoring the data. Based on the opinion of our medical experts, we are ready to move to Phase ll of our Back to Business plan, allowing more Memphians [to get] back to work in a safer way.”

Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald:

“With the necessary precautions we have made the improvements needed to move to Phase II. I am happy more people can get back to work.”

Collierville Mayor Stan Joyner:

“Thanks to citizens diligence in social distancing, staying at home, wearing mask[s], and the other things you have done to protect yourselves and others, we are able to move to Phase II. Keep up the good work!”

The health department will soon issue a new health directive with new orders and recommendations for people and businesses for Phase II. Look for the directive here.

The rate of positive coronavirus rose slightly in Shelby County from Sunday to Monday.

New numbers from the Shelby County Health Department showed 42 new cases of the virus from 688 tests given yesterday. That put the county’s positivity rating for Saturday at around 6.1 percent, up from 4.4 percent on Saturday. The county has averaged a positivity rate of about 7.2 percent since the virus arrived here in March.

One new death were recorded Sunday. So far, 85 have died here from the virus.

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Memphis Zoo to Reopen Next Week

The Memphis Zoo will re-open next week with limited capacity for the number of guests and a number of new protocols to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Zoo officials announced Friday morning that the Overton Park facility will open Wednesday, May 13th at 8 a.m.

“Our objective is to open with the highest possible level of safety for our team, our visitors and our collection of animals,” said zoo CEO Jim Dean. “Nothing is more important. We will ensure that we adhere to our new operating protocol and be accountable to the Shelby County Health Department and the city of Memphis.”
[pullquote-1] Crowds will be capped at 2,500 people at any time. The front gate will be the only entrance to the zoo. No cash will be accepted. The zoo will only accept debit or credit cards, membership cards with proper identification, and Apple Pay.

Tickets can also be purchased through the zoo’s website. There, nonmembers can also pay for parking. They can also pay at the front gate with the payments methods mentioned above.  

The zoo will also not allow outside food or drinks. Though, exceptions will be made for dietary restrictions.  Memphis Zoo

Here’s the zoo’s list of all officials there are doing during its phased re-opening:

• All guests and zoo team members will be asked to wear facial covering consistent with in-public guidance.

• Guests will see markers placed around the zoo to make sure everyone remains six feet apart.

• Directional markers will be provided to guide guests throughout their visit.

• Guests and team members will have access to hand sanitizer stations.

• Various food items will be sold from kiosks that will be equipped with plexiglass barriers to protect all.

• To limit contact, the zoo will not accept cash. Major credit cards or Apple pay only.

• Zoo staff will be continuously cleaning all high-touch surfaces like windows, vending machines and more.

These are the activities and facilities that are unavailable until further notice:

• All rides (trams, children’s rides, train)

• Playground

• Seasonal activities

• Keeper chats and shows

• Water play areas

• Indoor exhibits

• We continue to follow current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines by asking employees and guests to stay home if they are sick, encouraging respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene, and routinely cleaning all surfaces and public areas.

Justin Fox Burks

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Local Leaders Say Businesses Comply with Reopening Plan, So Far

CREDIT: Instagram/justin.summerhill

Instagram/justin.summerhill

An Instagram photo shows a spaced-out, Cinco-de-Mayo patio at Cafe Ole Wednesday.

Three days into Shelby County’s Back to Business plan, local officials said they’ve not had an increased uptick in calls to police or code enforcement for infractions to social distancing rules.

County retail shops and restaurants were allowed to open on a limited basis Monday. Many of our readers told us in a weekend poll that they wouldn’t rush to restaurants right away. However, Wednesday’s clear, warm weather came during the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Even with that, city of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen said Mayor Jim Strickland and his adminstration have seen “broad-ranging compliance” with the Safer At Home order and, then, the Back to Business plan.
[pullquote-1] “Business owners are working so hard under that framework,” McGowen said, during the daily press briefing of the Shelby County COVID-19 Task Force. “It’s not easy. But those businesses and patrons of those businesses are complying in large measure.”

However, photos have circulated on social media that showed restaurants allegedly not adhering to the stipulations of the order. McGowen said a restaurant surge was expected Wednesday as the weather was coupled with the holiday. But he said there will be “outliers” in the process and stressed that most infractions of the order are part of a “learning process.”

“Many people just have not understood all the limits of the protocols,” he said. “We share information first and, then, if we see a lack of compliance [follow up with more direct interventions].”

Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, said her agency has not received many complaints about companies not adhering to the rules. Mostly, the agency gets questions from companies “about how to most effectively keep employees and customers safe.”

“The majority of employers want to do what’s right for their employees and their clientele,” Haushalter said during Wednesday briefing.
[pullquote-2] The briefing came as the county recorded its lowest amount of new cases in several weeks. The 613 tests given Tuesday yielded only 26 new coronavirus cases. This put the positivity test rating at around 4 percent.

More businesses will be allowed to open (and now-open businesses may be able to add capacity) if the new case rate begins to fall or remains somewhat steady. This metric and others will determine if the county will be bale to enter that second phase of Back to Business.

“We can really continue to mitigate [COVID-19] in our community and keep transmissions down and get back to business all at the same time if we keep on adhering to social distancing,” Haushalter said.

McGowen agreed, saying this “is no time to let our guards down.”

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Week That Was: Hate Groups, Back to Business, and Drake Hall

A 2018 White Nationalist rally in Downtown Memphis


Hate Groups Rise in Memphis
There were eight active hate groups in the Memphis area in 2019, according to data from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

Each year, SPLC releases a comprehensive look at hate groups in the country, broken down by state and city. In Tennessee, there were a total of 38 hate groups, with the majority of those groups concentrated in the Memphis area. The number of groups in Memphis is up from the six recorded last year and double the number of groups here in 2015.

The SPLC defines a hate group as one having “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically their immutable characteristics.” Last year, Memphis had one Neo-Confederate group, one White Nationalist group, and four Black Separatist groups. In Bartlett, there were two White Nationalist groups.

Statewide, groups range from anti-LGBTQ to Racist Skinheads. The most prevalent group was Black Separatists with eight recorded groups in the state. According to the SPLC, Tennessee has two more total recorded groups than last year.

Drake Hall Is Off the Air
Astute listeners to WXMX 98.1 The Max noticed this week that their favorite morning radio personality, Drake Hall, was not on the air.

Hall, who’s won the Flyer‘s Best of Memphis awards in several radio categories for, well, forever, issued the following statement in response to a query from the Flyer:

“As many of you have noticed, I’m not on the radio at the moment. I’m very excited about our future plans and we’ll be letting you know what’s next, very soon. You can follow us on the Drake Hall Memphis Facebook page and at drakehallmemphis.com.

“I owe a debt of gratitude to all the good people I’ve worked with for the past 16 years, especially Wes Yahola and Syd Nabors and my late, great partner of 23 years, Zeke Logan. My main goal for now is not getting up at 3 a.m. Wishing you good health and peace until we meet again.”

As yet, there has been no statement from Cumulus Media, the corporate owner of WXMX, regarding Hall’s departure.

“Back to Business” Announced
 Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Volunteers load food into a car at a mobile food pantry.

Leaders from across Shelby County announced Thursday that phase one of the Back to Business plan was to begin on Monday, May 4th.

“After careful study of the data, and on the advice of our medical experts including the Shelby County Health Department, the mayors of Memphis, Shelby County, and the six surrounding municipalities have determined that May 4th, 2020 is the date that we can begin phase one of our Back to Business framework. 

Mayor Strickland

“As we said at the beginning of this week, our data was trending in the right direction,” said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. “Along with our doctors, we believe it’s time to slowly start opening our economy back up and get Memphians working again.

“As we enter the first phase of the economic recovery, I have to note that members of our community have made serious sacrifices,” said Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. “We have residents who have put their livelihoods and their ability to take care of their families on the line. We have healthcare employees and other frontline workers who have continued to serve through a very tough period of hardship.

“As we enter Phase 1, we must continue to be vigilant as a community. We must expand our efforts to protect vulnerable groups. And, if there is a significant flare-up, we must be prepared to be honest about it.”

“We have been watching the data carefully and have continued to improve, particularly in hospital capacity and testing capacity, both of which continue to expand,” said Dr. Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department. “Over this next phase, we will need to commit to expand our public health capacity to conduct investigations and aggressively respond to clusters as they emerge.”

U.S. Attorney Combats Sexual Harassment in Housing

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee is increasing its efforts to combat sexual harassment in housing as many struggle with housing insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant is asking that Tennesseans who have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment by a landlord, property manager, maintenance worker, or anyone with control over housing to report it to the Department of Justice.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant

This increased effort comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to experience housing insecurity and an inability to pay rent on time. The department is working with state and local partners to identify incidents of sexual harassment in housing and will investigate such allegations, pursuing enforcement actions where necessary.

“Every person in this district deserves the right to live in a place of their choosing without fear of sexual harassment,” Dunavant said. “This is not a small town issue or a big city issue, but an issue of respect and dignity. We want women and men throughout all of West Tennessee to know that there’s someone they can turn to if you feel unsafe in your home, no matter where their home is.”

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Salons, Barbershops Can Re-Open Wednesday

CREDIT: photo: Justin Fox Burks

photo: Justin Fox Burks

The shop where barber Warren Lewis styles hair with fire caught fire.

Salons and barbershops can now open on May 6th thanks to a county-wide order from city and county leaders here.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said these close-contact shops were not included in the original Phase 1 of the Back to Business plan. That plan will slowly re-open Memphis and Shelby County from stay-at-home orders mandated in late March.

Such shops were not to open until May in the original state plan. However, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee threw leaders here a “curveball” last week when he changed his mind on the opening of close-contact shops.

Harris said local leaders agreed to open salons and barbershops (but not massage parlors, nail salons, or tattoo shops) because “you can’t stop people from getting a haircut right now.”

“They’re getting their hair cut at their kitchen tables and garages,” Harris said. “They’re not following the appropriate safety protocols in the garage.”


With that, re-opening of shops will come with a host of mandatory safety precautions:

• Employees’ temperatures will be checked and they won’t be able to go to work if they have a fever

• Shops will keep in stock hand sanitizer, soap, and disinfectant wipes

• Face coverings will be worn by stylists and customers

• Stylists will wear protective gloves when cutting hair

• Capes, smocks, and neck towels can be disposable or can be used only once

• Active work stations will be six feet apart

• Walk-ins are only OK if the customer waits in their car

• Unless they are getting a haircut, minors are not allowed to go to styling appointments

Read the entire order here:

[pdf-1]