Tag: Coronavirus in Memphis

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

The Unavoidable Story

Countries with some form of universal healthcare in orange.

“One of the worst things is you can’t tell if people are smiling.”

“Well, I’m smiling,” I said, from behind my mask. “Hope you have a good day. And thanks.”

“Oh, I will. At least I have a job.”

I’ve got one, too. But my co-workers and I are working from our homes, unlike the checker at Fresh Market, who’s on the front lines, toiling with rubber gloves and a mask behind a plastic shield. But, truth be told, all of us who are still working in this current situation are lucky.

The economy is tanking. At last count, 26 million Americans had filed for unemployment. And for many of those folks, no job means no health-care insurance. Which means they’ve joined the approximately 44 million other Americans who have no health insurance — in the middle of the worst health crisis in memory. A Gallup poll released this week reported that one in seven Americans wouldn’t seek care for coronavirus symptoms due to worries about the possible cost of treatment.

Nationally, COVID-19 crisis “management” is still an unholy, disorganized mess. While steps are being taken in some states to “reopen the economy,” just across a border, another state is still battened down. Germs don’t recognize borders, last I heard. But coherent leadership from the top of the political food-chain is quite obviously not going to happen. Or coherent anything, for that matter.

Most indications are that things won’t truly return to “normal” until a vaccine is discovered, and that’s likely many months away. Most projections I’ve read predict a second surge of the virus. It could happen soon, if we reopen the economy too fast. It could happen this fall, even if we bring down the infection rate this summer. Everyone appears to be shooting in the dark to some extent.

What we do know is that in two months, nearly 60,000 Americans have died. And that’s just the official number. Higher general death rates in some parts of the country suggest that many probable COVID deaths have not been attributed to the disease.

I was chatting with a group of journalists via Zoom this week. There was some talk about covering “other stories” besides the virus, but the fact is there is almost no story you can report on that isn’t impacted by the COVID crisis: politics, education, government, voting rights, food, the arts, sports, social justice, wage and income disparity — you name it.

Unsurprisingly, as Maya Smith reports in this week’s cover story, the disadvantaged among us — the poor, the homeless, the undocumented, certain African-American communities — are disproportionately affected by COVID. It’s an eye-opening story.

And those folks’ lack of access to health care affects everyone, even those fortunate enough to have it. More people walking around with the disease means more people getting infected, which sustains the shutdown and stay-at-home orders. If millions of Americans can’t get — or can’t pay for — medical care, all of us pay the price.

If there’s an upside to all of this, it’s that it’s given us a chance to see what’s truly broken, to understand what needs to be changed to get this country back on track. COVID has exposed major faultlines in our civic and social foundations. We have a long list of problems and disparities that need to be addressed. But at the top of that list is health care.

What the United States calls a health-care system is an insult to the word “system.” It’s bloated, inequitable, inefficient, greed-driven, and unsustainable. The current situation has made that blindingly clear. Vast numbers of Americans are one medical crisis away from bankruptcy. Vast numbers of Americans avoid seeking medical care because they can’t afford it. In so doing, their treatable conditions become emergency room crises, their deaths are often premature and unnecessary, and their communicable illnesses needlessly infect others.

Assuming some sort of electoral purging of the current power structure happens this November — a big assumption, I know — Job One has to be fixing health care. The United States is the only — only! — first-world country that doesn’t provide some sort of universal health care for its citizens. No one goes bankrupt due to a medical bill anywhere else in the civilized world. Nowhere else do people avoid seeing a doctor because they can’t pay for it. Health care is the most essential and basic human right. And if anyone is concerned about the “cost,” remind them of the $5.6 trillion (and counting) the federal government has just thrown at the economy in the past month.

We may be wearing masks for a while longer, but it’s time to take off the blinders.

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Strange Days

CREDIT: Greg Cravens

Welcome to the Memphis Flyer‘s first digital-only issue. We’ve spent the past few days reinventing our production cycle in order to post our regular weekly print content for the web every Wednesday. And, to make it more fun, we’re doing it remotely, via Slack. None of that wussy face-to-face communication stuff for us.

In fact, I think it’s safe to say that none of us on staff have seen a Flyer compatriot for almost four weeks. Although that might have been Toby Sells I saw in the produce aisle at Fresh Market the other day. Not sure. We were both wearing masks and hazmat suits.

These are strange days, indeed. We hope you’re all staying safe and staying home — and wearing masks and staying six feet apart if you go out.

One of the hazards of staying home is that you might possibly be tempted to watch President Trump’s Traveling Salvation Show on television each afternoon. It’s like a train wreck into a dumpster fire, only not as well-organized. It’s supposed to be a daily update on the coronavirus, which it decidedly is not. It is, to be blunt, a shit show.

It begins with Trump emerging, blimp-like, from behind the curtain and proceeding to the podium. He looks down at the assembled reporters sitting in front of him. He smirks or sneers, depending on his mood. He then looks at the words that have been written for him to say in the notebook on his podium. He reads a sentence or two. Then, like a Bizarro-World hip-hop artist, he just starts free-styling, just letting his words flow, finding his groove, trying out new material. Almost none of what he says is true, but it fills airtime and keeps the president on television, where he loves to be. Here is some of the material he tried out on Monday:

People are being tested [for COVID] when they get on airplanes. Nope. You just made that up.

We inherited outdated coronavirus tests from the Obama administration. Nope. Coronavirus didn’t exist until 2019, so there were no tests for it.

The small business lending program is working really well. Nope. It’s been a total nightmare, with businesses and banks alike complaining that it’s confusing and difficult to implement. There have been well-reported system-wide failures.

China never spent money in our country. Now they will. Nope. China has spent an average of $100 billion a year in the U.S. since 2011. And that’s not counting their real estate and industrial investments.

And on it goes, ad nauseam. Lie after lie after lie after lie. The president of the United States, openly gaslighting the country on national television. It happens seven days a week, now. We’ve normalized this, let it into the country’s zeitgeist — a leader who brazenly lies to us. Every damn day. With no consequences — for him.

There are consequences for us, as Americans. In the absence of truth from our president, there is naturally an information vacuum to be filled. What’s “true” becomes yet another form of free-styling — just throw out some theories and see what floats to the surface on social media. In the past week, I’ve read:

1) Hospitals in blue states are claiming as many deaths as possible are COVID — flu, pneumonia, heart attacks, even cancer — in order to make the president look bad.

2) Hospitals in red states like Florida are hiding COVID deaths, declaring hundreds of fatalities as being from “unknown causes” to protect the president and Republican governors.

3) The COVID-19 virus was created by a Harvard scientist named Ron Leiber and unleashed on the world by China, which is in cahoots with Nancy Pelosi. I could go on.

And that doesn’t even touch the madness of the QANON folks, who claim the COVID is a cover-up for Bill Gates, whose 5-G internet microwaves are what’s really killing us all. The Q-Nuts also came up with the phrase “China Virus,” which the president and the secretary of state used for a few weeks.

Who the hell can you trust? I have to say at this point, we’re down to our local leaders, those we can vote in or out — or complain to in person. The November national elections, if they happen, appear to be the only hope of correcting the country’s course.

So it’s important to just … disengage at times, as difficult as that may be. Unplug. Listen to music. Get some takeout from one of your favorite local restaurants. Sit on your porch. Take a walk. Wash your masks.

On Sunday, I drove over to the Links of Galloway golf course to get some fresh air. There were no golfers, except for an occasional solo walking around and hitting balls onto greens with no pins. The course had become something of a public park, with lots of walkers, joggers, cyclists, babies in strollers, and even a couple of kids fishing in the ponds. It felt tranquil, almost — dare I say it? — normal. I took some comfort in it.

And these days, you take your comforts where you can.
Greg Cravens

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

It’s Time To Let Low-Level Offenders Out of Jail

CREDIT: Atman | Dreamstime.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has people keeping their distance from each other, but what if you had no choice but to be in a crowded room, sharing a sink and a toilet, unable to so much as sanitize your hands or step away from a person when they sneezed?

America’s culture of mass incarceration is unnecessarily forcing hundreds of thousands of people to crowd together, often with substandard sanitation and medical care. They’re prisoners held for low-level offenses such as shoplifting, drug possession, and even driving with a suspended license. For their sake, and ours, we need to let them out.

Many of our prisons and jails are overcrowded. Even the ones not considered overcrowded house strangers in close proximity, with a revolving door of inmates. Jails, which mostly house people who have not yet been convicted, move people in and out on a constant basis. As medical experts will tell you, this is a recipe for coronavirus disaster. You cannot practice social distancing in prison.

Atman | Dreamstime.com

You can’t social distance in an overcrowded jail.

It’s also a constitutional issue. Keeping prisoners in unhealthy conditions can constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. The standard is lenient. Prisoners must prove that prison officials acted with “deliberate indifference” to prisoners’ well-being. The Supreme Court has stated that exposure of prisoners to a “serious communicable disease,” even if the prisoners currently show no symptoms, can meet this standard. Most would agree that COVID-19 qualifies as a “serious communicable disease.”

This injustice is even worse with respect to the roughly half-million people jailed in the U.S. who haven’t been convicted. Under the Due Process Clause, they’re entitled to at least as much protection as those actually convicted. Such people are being held awaiting trial — some because a judge has determined they are likely to flee or be dangerous, but most simply because they can’t afford bail. To add insult to injury, many federal courts have suspended jury trials under the Speedy Trial Act’s emergency provisions, ensuring that those people remain in jail even longer while awaiting a trial. Surely, we can release many of these people pending trial without serious risk.

This isn’t just a question of justice; it’s sound health policy. Prisoners constantly cycling in and out of crowded prisons can spread coronavirus to the population at large. The virus is already spreading at New York’s Rikers Island facility. Our mass incarceration regime can mass-produce thousands of Typhoid Marys. No reasonable person would urge the release of dangerous prisoners who have committed serious crimes. But a large percentage are held for nonviolent drug, property, or “public order” offenses like prostitution, public drunkenness, and even driving on a suspended license. They would pose less of a public safety threat healthy and released than as potential pandemic vectors.

Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Boston have already decided to release prisoners deemed low-risk. Other cities are not only releasing some inmates but slowing down the influx of more. Baltimore prosecutors are no longer prosecuting most drug, prostitution, and other public order offenses.

The federal system has announced no policy regarding releasing low-risk prisoners or slowing the influx of new low-level, nonviolent offenders. Thankfully, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has temporarily suspended most immigration arrests, reserving arrests for those who pose a public safety threat or whose confinement is mandatory.

New Orleans prosecutors have gone the opposite direction, arguing to judges that inmates have to be kept in jail precisely because they may pose a public health risk even if they don’t have the virus. They have also argued that release policies are unnecessary because there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in the jail — precisely the type of short-sighted decision-making we can’t afford in this pandemic. If we wait for outbreaks in our jails and prisons, it will be too late.

Prosecutors should suspend prosecutions for nonviolent, low-level offenses. Jails should release nonviolent pretrial detainees who languish in jail simply because they cannot afford bail. Prisons should release low-level, non-public-safety offenders who are near their release term anyway. For others charged with or convicted of similar offenses, they should consider parole, home confinement with ankle bracelet monitoring, or other alternatives to traditional incarceration until we are certain the pandemic is behind us. Finally, we need to implement nationwide testing for COVID-19 in jails and prisons. The time to act is now. It’s a matter not only of justice, but societal self-defense.

Steven Mulroy is a former federal prosecutor and county commissioner who teaches criminal law at the University of Memphis. Brice Timmons is a civil rights lawyer at the law firm of Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee, P.C., Memphis.

Categories
Cover Feature News

Indoor Survival Guide: Eight Ways to Beat the ‘Rona Blues

Hit the Trail

He was muddin’ — soupy slop oozing beneath his speckled treads — but there wasn’t a truck in sight. He was muddin’ in the middle of Overton Park, in sneakers.

One of those days last week (didn’t they kinda run together?) the Old Forest Trail was deluged but wide open, as most everything else was closing down. Dog walkers, mountain bikers, families, and that muddin’ trail-runner guy shared the many paths with plenty of room to stay at least six feet apart. 

The outdoors is a refuge. It’s an escape from problems mundane, profane, and profound. Our current situation certainly fits into the profound category, and it makes the outdoors even more important.

Illstrations by Greg Cravens

Overton Park has closed some facilities — the restrooms, Overton Bark, and playgrounds. Keeping them open would have encouraged people to gather, a no-no these days. But the miles of trails in Shelby County remain wide open (for now, at least). And it’s out there in the fresh air that you can leave the virus blues behind you. 

You’ve seen the guy: head down, glossy eyes glued to his phone, walking straight on the sidewalk, heading into traffic. You can’t do that on a trail, not for long, anyway. Roots will trip you up. Gum balls will roll your ankles. Mud will slip-slide you into the, well, mud. Your mind has to focus on the trail ahead of you. It pushes survival to the front of the brain and pushes other stuff (ahem, coronavirus) to the back. But this is the basic stuff. 

There’s magic out there. Vines hang from above in the massive canopy of trees that has swayed there since before Memphis was Memphis. The land gently swells and dips. The woods are like psychic caffeine, especially for urbanites. Your mind races to find the straight lines and right angles, to hammer some organization into it all. But nature doesn’t cotton to such. It’s the wild, after all. Stay out there long enough and that wild will rub off on you. Or maybe it’ll reveal the wild in you. And maybe that’s the magic. 

All of it — the survival, the magic, whatever — will de-program your brain, re-prioritize your mental list somehow. But there are guidelines for hiking in these troubled times. The National Recreation and Park Association says to stay off the trails if you’re sick. If you do go, though, wash your hands before and carry hand sanitizer. Keep away (six feet) from others. Alert other hikers of your presence on the trail (if they don’t see you) and step off trails to let them pass. Don’t rely on public facilities. Bring your own water and time your trip so you don’t have to use restrooms, if possible. — Toby Sells

Shelby Farms Park — 4,500 acres, 40 miles of trails; Overton Park’s Old Forest — 142 acres, four miles of trails; Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park — 12,539 acres, 20 miles of trails

Love in the Time of Corona

What could be more romantic than a quarantine? The streets are empty and the rain beats against the windows as you gaze at your lover over a tall glass of hand sanitizer. … Or not?

One thing is for sure — since coronavirus is quite contagious and kissing is the most efficient way of spreading it — spring 2020 is not shaping up to be a good time for people using dating apps. “I travel for work already, so my dating life is already weird,” says Ashley Caldwell, who works as a consultant organizer for progressive organizations. “It’s mostly just been amusing the ways people are working around the quarantine issue.” One gentleman caller suggested that they co-quarantine together. “We’ve been talking for a few days,” Caldwell says, but she had never met him in person. “He had an hourly breakdown for how much time we’d devote to work and how much time we’d devote to … being together.”

Maybe the single folks and those in the early stages of a relationship can relearn the seemingly lost art of romantic letter-writing?

“I could see this creating a lot of babies in nine months for people who don’t have kids, but as a mom who has two kids she’s with 24/7, it’s more of a birth control issue than anything else,” says Christina Mokarski with a laugh.

Erica Ward agrees. “24/7 kid time equals no snu-snu,” Ward says, referencing the Futurama word for doing the dirty. “It’s mostly that we’re in a smallish house with our kids, [ages] 3 and 5, with no real breaks. By the time they’re asleep, we’re exhausted and pass out on the couch.”

Board games might be a good idea right about now. Settlers of Catan, Risk, and Monopoly are all famously long. If there’s one thing everyone has in abundance these days, it’s time — just don’t let a dispute over Boardwalk property send you around the bend. — Jesse Davis

Stay in Shape

Local Zumba instructor David Quarles has begun leading virtual Zumba classes from his home. Quarles says it’s important for people to find a balance and practice self care through fitness during these times.

“I’d say while being bombarded by news update after news update of not essentially the most delightful stories surrounding the new pandemic, coupled with many of us maybe dealing with the anxiety of the unknown, we need to maintain as much balance and positivity as possible.”

Quarles adds that because it’s so close to the beginning of the year, many people’s newly minted commitment to working out has been upended. “Many people just came to terms with their new fitness routines in gyms and were seriously motivated,” Quarles says. “So they need an outlet as well to make sure they stay on track and reach their goals they initially set out to accomplish.”

Quarles’ online Zumba classes are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at varying times. Classes are $5. Check his Facebook page for more information.

Brooks Meadow, owner of Recess901, has also moved the gym’s fitness classes online. Meadow says the goal is not just to lead members through a workout, but also to provide members with a virtual social outlet.

“It’s not just that people can’t go to the gym anymore, but all of a sudden people’s entire daily routine is flipped upside down,” Meadow says. “We intend to provide connection and social nourishment at a time when it’s about to evaporate rapidly. We are in the business of habit changing and social nourishment, while making it as simple, as stress free, and as fun possible. We were doing that in the gym; now we do that online.”

Meadow says the most challenging part about getting motivated to work out at home is changing habits and breaking the sedentary patterns that most people have at home. “We leave our home to go to the gym because that’s where that habit has been established,” he says. “But that’s not really able to happen right now. So how can we change to make that an at-home habit?”

For those working out at home, Meadow says the easiest place to start is “doing what you know. So if calisthenics is your thing, take 20 minutes every now and then for a movement break,” Meadow says. “There are an infinite amount of workouts you can do at home. You don’t have to be a fitness enthusiast or have high knowledge to move your body.”

Meadow also suggests working out more frequently throughout the day for shorter time periods. He says setting a reminder to get up and move every 90 minutes is a good way to keep the body and mind healthy. “Literally just move and have fun,” Meadow says. “In a time when it’s easy to look around and say ‘this sucks,’ that’s important. Focus on breathing. Practice basic exercises like jumping jacks, squats, situps, and pushups.”

For free at-home workout classes taught by local instructors, check the YMCA, Kroc Center, or OrangeTheory Fitness websites. — Maya Smith

How To Get Your Film Fix

Minutes after the Flyer shipped to the printer last week, Malco Theatres, which is based in Memphis, announced they were closing all of their 33 movie theaters in six states. “The health and safety of our guests and employees is of the highest importance,” said David Tashie, President and COO. “We will continue closely monitoring the situation and, when given clearance, be ready to resume normal operations.”

Malco was left with no choice. Not only were they under pressure from local authorities concerned about the potential for community transmission, but studios both major and minor have pushed back new releases, in some cases by more than a year. While it was inevitable — and undoubtedly the right thing to do — the news came as a shock to Memphis film fans.

Earlier in the week, Malco had announced they were opening the Summer Drive-In seven days a week. A drive-in movie seems ideal for social distancing — you still get the feeling of being in an audience, while staying a safe distance from your fellow cinephile. But Malco’s total shutdown includes the drive-in. For some cinephiles, it was the first time the seriousness of the situation set in. Malco VP and director of marketing Karen Melton urged Memphians to buy gift cards to use when the theaters reopened and to support local businesses affected by the pandemic emergency.

The crossroads now for movie lovers in Memphis is Black Lodge, the venerable video store that re-opened in 2019. Owner Matthew Martin says Black Lodge will stay open as long as possible to serve people who are stuck at home during the soft quarantine. “As responsible business owners, we must recognize the seriousness of COVID-19, and we must do our part in protecting the health and safety of our customers and friends, who have supported us for so long,” Martin says.

On March 16th, Black Lodge shut down for two days to deep-clean the entire facility. Since the cleaning, no one but staff has been allowed in the building. Movie rentals are now a curbside service. Racks with new releases, popular selections, and most importantly, kids’ movies, have been moved to front, where they are visible for window shopping. If you see something you like, a Lodger will retrieve it for you. If you’re not sure, the knowledgeable staffers can talk to you about your tastes and recommend something you’ll like.

A membership to Black Lodge costs $10 a month and includes access to the one of the largest video libraries in the United States, with well over 20,000 titles available. That’s at least four times larger than Netflix’s selection and includes rarities not available online for any price. During the pandemic emergency, Lodge is running a special membership offer: access to children’s movies for $5 a month, to help entertain kids stuck at home.

“For the past 20 years, Black Lodge has been proud to be part of the incredible arts community of Memphis,” says Martin. “We would like to thank everyone who has and continues to support us. We strive to offer entertainment and what little slices of distraction we can during such tumultuous times.” — Chris McCoy

Digital Book Club

As of press time, many local bookstores and comic book stores are offering to deliver or mail purchases. (Check their Facebook pages or websites for the most up-to-date information.) If you have a dark sense of humor, Ling Ma’s Severance and Emily St. John-Mandel’s Station Eleven are excellent pandemic novels. Whether it’s grim reality or escapism you seek, shopping local and setting up a digital book club seems like a good way to stay in touch with socially distanced friends — and support a Memphis business while doing so.

“We’ve never encountered anything like this, and our responses are evolving with each new revelation,” says Eddie Burton, general manager of Novel bookstore (and before that, Booksellers at Laurelwood). “We find ourselves in the same boat as every other independent book store and small business — we’re trying to serve our customers while keeping our staff safe (and paid).” While Burton acknowledges that in-store browsing is a big part of the bookstore appeal, he says, “We’re urging our customers to use our website, take advantage of our delivery service, and we’re offering curbside pickup, which has been a popular option so far.

“Libro has made the decision to close, and we are rescheduling all in-store events,” Burton adds. The Novel book club has moved to online meetings, as has the popular children’s sing-a-long series Story Time with Miss Marjorie.

“Every morning, we come in and clean,” says Shannon Merritt of 901 Comics. “But we are also offering curbside pick-up and delivery.” Merritt says some of the comic book industry news underlines the severity of the pandemic. “[Comics distributor] Diamond let us release titles a day early. Some of the publishers are making all the comics, if they don’t sell, returnable. Image is urging the bigger publishers to do the same thing.”

“We’re still coming in every day,” says Ron Crum, owner of Comics & Collectibles. “Worst case scenario, we’ll just deliver ’em,” Crum adds. “The only way I won’t be here — well, knock on wood that I don’t get sick — is if they just tell us to stay home.” Two Rivers Bookstore, though set to close for good, is offering $7 delivery in an attempt to pay off their remaining bills and rent. “To place an order, send a direct message to Two Rivers Bookstore on Facebook or Instagram,” says owner Heather Cee.

“We’re watching it every day to see what we need to do,” says Cheryl Mesler, co-owner of Burke’s Book Store, who made the decision on Sunday to temporarily suspend in-store business. Burke’s is offering curbside pick-up, delivery within Midtown (or nearby areas), and is ramping up the online sales portion of the store. “Just ask. If we can get to you, we will,” she adds. “Our staff is really a priority for us,” Mesler says. “Keeping the staff employed and paid.” — JD

Visit a Museum Online

Worried about getting some culture during the ‘rona crisis? Fear not. Many of our local attractions can be simulated via virtual tours of museums and parks and through live-streams of regional zoo and aquarium exhibits. 

Many of the virtual museum and park tour experiences we found utilize Google Street View’s 360° view, and these experiences can be maximized with any Google-approved VR set like Google Cardboard, Mattel View-Master, and Zeiss’ VR One.

To access these 360-degree views, search for a museum or park in Google Maps, and under Photos, look for an album listed “360° View.” Searching for museums and parks that have this option can take a while, so we did the legwork. 

Some museums have full walk-through experiences, while others have a few 360° panoramas of certain parts of the building. 

The museums we found with full virtual walk-throughs: Fire Museum of Memphis, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange. Dixon Gallery & Garden has an extensive virtual walk-through of its gardens, and Sun Studio is somewhat walkable. 

Museums with 360° panoramic views: National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, Memphis Botanic Garden, and Mississippi River Museum.

Although parks aren’t closed yet as of this writing, we wanted to include them on this list. Two parks that have virtual walk-through capabilities on Google Maps are Overton Park Conservancy and Shelby Farms Park. 

For more of a live experience, Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga offers three different live-streams of its penguins, river otters, and reef dwellers that include sharks, reef fish, and a green sea turtle. You can also rent films from the aquarium’s IMAX 3D theater. 

The Memphis Zoo has started offering virtual inside looks of the zoo with Virtual Wild Encounters, Zoo Dude, and Zoo News. To make it a group experience, view these live streams from Facebook where you have the option of hosting a Watch Party with socially distanced friends and family. 

Speaking of watch parties, friends missing movie nights with their friends no longer have to miss out. As long as the whole crew has a computer with Google Chrome installed, they can download a Netflix extension called Netflix Party, which allows synchronized playback and group chat. It’ll be just like hangin’ with your pals.

Got a crew full of board gamers? Aside from the classics that can be played through Facebook Messenger like Words with Friends and Draw Something, we found a couple of unique and obscure cross-platform board games that can be played with friends virtually: Mysterium, a murder-solving game involving ghosts and psychics, and Tokaido, a simple and relaxing game that allows players to venture around Japan. — Julia Baker

Just Chill the F**k Out

“Regardless of why it happened, the fact remains that human sleep is strange compared to our closest living relatives,” writes Melissa Hogenboom in a 2016 paper for BBC Earth. And what’s strange about human sleep patterns when compared to other mammals? We all need R.E.M. sleep, but — with the notable exceptions of animals like giraffes and horses — most mammals sleep a hell of a lot more than we humans do. Some scientists say that’s due to the better sleep we get — unlike most apes, who make nests in trees, we don’t have to worry about dying because we fell out of bed in the middle of the night.

So use this opportunity to take a nap.

Sure, now is a great time to practice a second language, hone your skill with haikus, or to learn the mixolydian modular scale like you always promised your jazz-savvy guitarist friends you would. But if adding to your to-do list only deepens your sense of dread, well, I hereby give you permission to just chill the f**k out.

Seriously. Has there ever been a better time to sit and do absolutely nothing? My only caveat would be to try to avoid unnecessary screen time. Watch your pets as they watch the world outside the windows. Count your breathing — hey, turns out if you do that, you’re already halfway to meditating!

It’s okay if you don’t come out the other side of this thing with a new screenplay, novel, or an album’s worth of songs. If working is how you manage stress, don’t let me stop you. But now is not the time for self-imposed pressure to produce to turn you into the coronavirus quarantine version of The Shining‘s Jack Torrance. If you must do something, consider pulling weeds — hey, the spring equinox just rolled around with little fanfare — or listening to a whole album, from start to finish, with your eyes closed. There are plenty of Memphis musicians who could use the streaming numbers right now. — JD

Songs for Shut-Ins

Sometimes a three-minute song is all it takes to change your day, especially when you’re cut off from the world. You can celebrate your time away from the rat race, like the Kinks in “Waterloo Sunset” or Warren Zevon in “Splendid Isolation.” And couples in quarantine can be a fun thing, as we know from Paul and Linda McCartney’s “Eat At Home,” Elvis Presley’s “Baby Let’s Play House,” or Chet Baker’s “Let’s Get Lost.” When Bob Dylan and the Band (or the Byrds) sang “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” they tapped into the happier side of being homebodies together.

But it’s not all bread and milk and roses, this stay-at-home existence. The Kinks’ “Sitting on My Sofa” rocks, but it’s not exactly jumping for joy. Neither is John Lennon’s “Isolation,” “Four Cornered Room” by War, “Black Night” by Charles Brown, or “Me and My Clock” by Carla Thomas. Country music is good for wallowing in the darkness — you might as well own it and put on “Hello Walls” by Faron Young, “Rubber Room” by Porter Wagoner, or “Flowers on the Wall” by the Statler Brothers.

Other songs celebrate social distancing. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police has taken on a new meaning, as has Richard Thompson’s “Keep Your Distance,” the Beatles’ “Don’t Bother Me,” and rapper Flipp Dinero’s “Leave Me Alone.” But are there songs about good hygiene? Prince Buster’s “Wash Wash” (really his take on “That Lucky Old Sun”) is good for that, and Charlie Rich’s “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water” provides a good counterexample. Don’t try this at home, kids!

Finally, once the wallowing is over, one listen to Nina Simone’s “Ain’t Got No, I Got Life” will help you climb out of the pit in four minutes’ time. Then, take it to the sunny ’70s for some uplift: “Ooh Child” by the Five Stairsteps will have you opening the curtains and sunning yourself, contemplating a better tomorrow. “Some day,” they sing, “We’ll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun. Some day when the world is much brighter.” — Alex Greene

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Apropos the Crisis

Among the consequences of the current pandemic is that various public events, some of them long-scheduled, are now off the calendar until some undefined future point — or canceled outright. There is, of course, a third option, involving reliance upon the various forms of virtual presence the cybernetic age has made possible.

An example of the latter is the Democrats’ selection of delegates to the party’s upcoming summer convention.

Local Democrats met at Kirby High School for two major-party presidential nominating conventions the weekend before last to choose “selectors” for the official party caucuses, which, for Democrats in the 9th Congressional District, were set for the same location this coming weekend. Those for the adjoining 8th District, which includes part of Memphis and Shelby County, were designated for the Carroll County Fairgrounds.

In either case, not anymore. Instead, the party will be conducting its delegate selection online at various times across the state on Saturday. Each candidate’s selectors will caucus on conference calls via separate phone lines. Procedures have not yet been decided on for at-large delegates and those in a P.L.E.O. category (for “party leaders and elected officials”).

political consultant Michael Life, City Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren, and state Representative Dwayne Thompson.

• When he made his successful race for the City Council Super District 9 last year, Jeff Warren, a physician, used medical metaphors for the improvements he proposed to bring to city government. “For a Healthier Memphis” was his catch-all slogan.

As a member of Mayor Jim Strickland‘s newly convened COVID Task Force, the councilman is now involved in such a clinical role in earnest. This week, he dispatched a prescription of sorts to constituents via email. Included in his recommendations:

1. Please do not panic and stockpile food and supplies. Our supply chain can provide what we need. Reach out to a neighbor and offer to sell or donate supplies if you did and this will allow our stores to restock and address everyone’s needs.

2. Practice social distancing and avoid crowds of any kind. Many restaurants and businesses are leading the way in removing tables and chairs, and the city is now limiting any gathering to fewer than 50 people. 

3. Wash your hands, practice good hygiene, and avoid touching your face.  

4. Stay home and avoid contact with as few people as possible until we have actual local data to see where we are on the epidemic curve.

Apropos the latter point, Warren was among the attendees at what may have been the last organized public political event to be held in these parts for a while, a fundraiser last week for Democratic state House District 97 candidate Allan Creasy, held in a back-tent area at Celtic Crossing, where Creasy serves as a bartender.

• Another legislative candidate, Jerri Green, a Democrat seeking the state House seat in District 83, suspended campaigning and also issued some similar online advice, part of which read as follows:

All of the following are looking for donations of goods, monetary gifts, and some even need volunteers to help: Mid-South Food Bank, Hope House Memphis, Dorothy Day House, Trinity United Methodist Church.

Then, look for other simple things you can do: Support your favorite small business or restaurant if you can now, or buy gift cards for later use.

Tip folks extra if you can. Uber Eats drivers, bartenders, baristas, you name it, they need it!

Find your local favorite musician’s latest album and BUY it. They will be booking fewer gigs.

Check on friends, neighbors, co-workers (text them!). This is intense, and we need to vent a little.

Say a prayer for RBG. Seriously.

What I won’t be doing during this time: campaigning. I won’t be fundraising or door-knocking or generally being a politician.

• Interesting message received from MoneyGeek, a start-up company proffering financial information and advice: In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the White House recently released a statement announcing that it would once again seek to repeal Obamacare after the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments challenging the ACA. MoneyGeek recently completed a study analyzing the risk to patients with pre-existing conditions and found that over 12 million Americans could lose coverage, and that would include losing coverage for vaccines and treatment related to coronavirus. Tennessee would be one of the most impacted states if these laws change:
* Over 325,000 people (8.2 percent of the population of Tennessee), are either uninsured or on the ACA today, and have a declinable condition. This population would suffer the most, either losing coverage or having difficulty securing new coverage.

* 11 percent of the population is on ACA programs/direct-to-consumer insurance plans.

* Over 500,000 people (14.7 percent of the population) are currently uninsured.

Categories
Cover Feature News

Coronavirus: What You Need to Know Now

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:48 p.m., Wednesday, March 25th. We are continuing to monitor the science and will adjust this story to reflect any changes in information regarding COVID-19.

There’s an epidemic sweeping the country. We at the Memphis Flyer take seriously our obligation to keep citizens informed. Here are the answers to some common questions you may have about the coronavirus.

What is the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

The coronavirus is an infectious disease that affects the respiratory system. The word “coronavirus” is a general name for a type of virus that resembles a crown or the sun when viewed under a microscope. The common cold is caused by one type of coronavirus. COVID-19 (CoronaVirus Disease 2019) is a new kind of coronavirus that was first seen in China in late 2019. It has since been detected all over the world and is now spreading in the United States.

What are the Symptoms? 

The symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• Fever

• Dry cough, which could become a productive cough as the disease progresses

• Fatigue

• Shortness of breath

• Sore throat

• Muscle or joint pain

• Headache

• Chills

• Loss of sense of smell and/or taste

Note: Some COVID-19 patients have reported a runny nose; but remember, it’s allergy season, so unless your runny nose is accompanied by a fever, it’s probably allergies.

How Contagious is It?

COVID-19 is quite contagious. Scientists use the term R0 to quantify how many other people one sick patient is expected to infect in the course of their illness. COVID-19’s R0 is currently estimated to be between 2 and 3. For comparison, the seasonal flu’s R0 is 1.3, Ebola is 2, HIV is 3.6, and measles is 11-16.

No one knows how many people will ultimately contract COVID-19. SARS, a previous coronavirus outbreak, which emerged in China in 2003, was contained and burned out after two years with fewer than 9,000 cases and 1,000 deaths. In the case of COVID-19, containment has failed and the virus is spreading freely all over the world. Epidemiologists now estimate that 30 to 70 percent of the population could contract the disease in the next 18 months.

How Dangerous is It?

One of the unusual things about COVID-19 is that it seems to have different effects on different people. More than half of people who contract the disease (up to 81 percent) will get mild symptoms, like the common cold or the seasonal flu. Keep in mind that what epidemiologists consider a “mild” case could include pneumonia, so even a technically mild case is no fun.

But — and this is a big but — 14 percent of cases are severe. This means the disease gets so serious that the patient might need to be hospitalized. Five percent of patients are considered critical, developing symptoms including septic shock and respiratory failure. Critical patients will require extended stays in the intensive care unit of two weeks or more. About half of critical patients die.

Scientists use the term Case Fatality Rate (CFR) to describe how deadly an infectious disease is. The CFR for COVID-19 has varied in different parts of the world. In some places, it has been measured at 0.5 percent. The death rate aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship was about 1 percent. In other places, such as Northern Italy, it has been above 3 percent.

Those percentages might not seem very high, but for comparison, the CFR of the 1918-19 flu, the deadliest pandemic in recorded history, is estimated to have been 2.5 percent.

The biggest danger right now is that COVID-19 cases may overwhelm the American health care system, as has happened in Italy. Even the most conservative estimates indicate that millions of people will have to be hospitalized in the coming months.

What Should I Do If I, or Someone I Love, Has Symptoms?

The Shelby County Health Department says if you have a fever, dry cough, and fatigue and believe you may have been infected by coronavirus, don’t just show up at your doctor’s office or emergency room unannounced. You should call your doctor or primary health care provider and tell them about your symptoms. They will instruct you on what to do next. Remember, most cases will be mild and will not require hospitalization. You can treat it much like you would treat the seasonal flu: rest, hydration, and ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever. But don’t wait around, ignore your symptoms, and allow yourself to get sicker and sicker while infecting others around you. Be proactive and take care of yourself. Do not go to the emergency room unless you are very sick, as the ERs will likely be crowded and could quickly become overwhelmed.

Due to lack of resources, the Shelby County Health Department is not currently offering any testing for COVID-19.

Is the Coronavirus “Just the Flu”?

No. COVID-19 is much more dangerous than influenza for several reasons. First, the virus is believed to have originally infected bats. But late last year, the bat coronavirus mutated, developing the ability to infect humans. That means humans have no immunity to COVID-19.

Influenza, on the other hand, is a different type of virus that has been infecting humans for thousands of years. Most people have had some strain of flu and have developed an immunity. Additionally, flu shots have been developed, which give the recipient immunity to the strains of flu which circulate every year. This creates “herd immunity,” which slows the spread of the disease. Occasionally, a new strain of flu emerges, like the 1918 flu or the 2009 H1N1 flu, and flu season is much more severe than usual.

Because of this widespread immunity, the CFR of seasonal influenza is 0.1 percent. The CFR of COVID-19 is between 0.5 to 3 percent, which means it is five to 30 times more deadly than the flu.

Is There a Cure for Coronavirus?

No. For severe and critical cases, treatment focuses on keeping the patient breathing until their immune systems can defeat the virus. Many scientists and pharmaceutical companies are working on antiviral drugs to combat the disease, but don’t expect anything that works any time soon. There is already disinformation circulating. People trying to make a quick buck are hawking dubious treatments. For the foreseeable future, you should be very, very skeptical of anyone who claims to have found a cure.

Is There a Vaccine for Coronavirus?

No. Scientists believe it will be possible to develop a vaccine eventually, but these things take time. Don’t expect to see a working vaccine for COVID-19 for 18 months to two years. In the meantime, it is very likely that COVID-19 will become endemic to the population, like influenza. Once enough people have had COVID-19 and herd immunity develops, the spread of the disease will slow, and the impacts will become less severe. In the meantime, we’re in for a rough ride.

Who is at Risk?

Everyone is at risk of catching COVID-19. Older people, those with compromised immune systems, diabetics, smokers, those with heart disease, and those with lung disorders are at the greatest risk of developing severe or critical cases of the disease. The number of deaths among people younger than 30 years of age has so far been statistically insignificant, while the death rate among people over 80 years of age reached 18 percent in China. Nevertheless, young people are not immune and can become seriously ill. The bottom line seems to be, how good is your immune system, and how strong are your lungs and heart?

How Does the Virus Spread?

The primary way the virus spreads is through microscopic droplets expelled from the nose and mouth of an infected person when they cough. Those droplets may then be inhaled by another person, infecting them directly. If the droplets land on a surface, or if the infected person coughs into their hand and then touches something like a doorknob or countertop, the viral particles inside the droplets could remain infectious for up to two days. If someone touches the contaminated surface, and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, they could become infected.

How contagious an infected person is depends on their viral load, which depends on how long they have been infected. COVID-19’s incubation period averages five days, but can be as long as 14 days. During that period, when the infected person has no symptoms, they can transmit it to others. How often that occurs is unknown, and currently the subject of intense research. Once the first symptoms, usually a fever, appear, the infected person is definitely contagious and can be expected to infect two or three other people — unless they take precautions.

How can I Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus?

The bad news is, COVID-19 is quite contagious. The good news is, outside of the human body, it is quite fragile and can be easily destroyed. Regular household disinfectants will kill any viral particles lingering on surfaces, so keep it clean out there. The ultraviolet light present in sunlight will kill the virus in short order, as will high temperatures, such as those achieved inside a clothes dryer.

The most important thing you can do to prevent the transmission of the virus is to wash your hands frequently. You should scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds, washing the palms first, then moving on to the backs of your hands, fingers, and nails. Remember that the primary mechanism of hand washing is mechanical, not chemical. The soap is there to make it easier to remove particles on your skin, not kill germs. So scrub those hands good.

If you don’t have immediate access to soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that is at least 60 percent alcohol. Rub it all over your hands and keep rubbing until it dries.

Cover your mouth when you cough, but don’t cough into your hands. Instead, cough into a tissue or into the crook of your elbow. This will prevent the infectious droplets from flying through the air.

Stop touching your face. It’s hard, especially once you start thinking about it, but you should try. The most common way for the infection to enter the body is by rubbing the eyes or nose, or putting fingers in your mouth. Stop chewing those fingernails, too.

Stop shaking hands when you meet people. There are many other greetings. A fist bump is more hygienic because the palms of the hands do not come into contact with each other. United Nations infectious disease doctors have long greeted each other with an elbow bump, which was first developed in an Hawaiian leper colony. For sci-fi fans, there’s the Vulcan salute. (The canonical reply to “Live long and prosper” is “Peace, and long life,” which seems like an appropriate sentiment for the moment.) For the superheros among us, there’s the Wakandan salute, which requires two hands, but looks extremely cool. Get creative and have fun with it.

Hugging a stranger or someone who is showing symptoms is not recommended.

By the way, there is no evidence that COVID-19 or any coronavirus is sexually transmitted. But kissing is the most efficient way to transmit the virus, and there will most likely be some hugging involved, so now’s probably not the time for a one-night stand.

What is “Social Distancing”?

When an infected person coughs, droplets containing viral particles can fly through the air up to six feet. That’s why health authorities are recommending “social distancing.” Try to stay about six feet from anyone unfamiliar to you or anyone who is showing COVID-19 symptoms, such as a fever or cough.

Social distancing is why you’re seeing so many postponements and cancellations of events such as concerts, film festivals, and sports events. Dancing close together at a concert or cheering along with other sports fans is fun, but you’re definitely going to get closer than six feet to your neighbor. And with all those hands touching surfaces, the probability of virus transmission will greatly increase.

Social distancing is why many workplaces, including the Memphis Flyer‘s parent company, Contemporary Media, are either encouraging or mandating working from home.

Schools were a major transmission vector during the 1918 flu pandemic. Ask any teacher, and they’ll tell you how quickly a cold spreads in an academic environment. That’s why so many schools are extending spring break and switching to online learning.

This is very important: If you feel the least bit sick, have a cough, sore throat, or even a slight fever, stay home and rest. Patients are most infectious in the early stage of the disease and have been proven to remain contagious for up to fourteen days after the onset of symptoms.

If you start to get sick, you’ll need to be indoors for a while. This is why people have been stocking up on supplies, leading to long lines and empty shelves in the grocery stores.

If you have reason to believe you have been exposed to someone with the virus, you should consider a self-quarantine. Remember, the incubation period of the virus can be up to two weeks.

Does this mean you can never leave your house again? No. Just use common sense when you go out. Wash your hands frequently, don’t shake hands, try to keep a healthy distance between yourself and other people, and avoid large crowds.

Should I Wear a Mask?

Maybe, depending on the circumstances. There are different kinds of masks. The surgical masks known as N-95s can stop all sizes of airborne droplets that could contain viral particles. N-95s are currently in short supply and should be reserved for health care workers who are coming into contact with many sick people. Masks designed for dust will stop the bigger droplets, but not smaller, “aerosolized” droplets. Homemade cloth masks and bandannas are even less effective.

Nevertheless, experts recommend masks in some circumstances. Some Memphis doctors offices are requiring masks for everyone they see. People who are already sick with COVID-19 symptoms should wear masks if they venture out into public to go to the doctor. This helps prevent them from spreading infectious droplets when they cough. If you are at home treating a sick person, use a mask. If you are a senior, if you are immunocompromised, or have an underlying risk factor such as diabetes, wearing a mask while out in public can help lower your odds of catching the disease.

It seems the biggest advantage of wearing a non-N-95 mask is to keep you from touching the parts of your face around your nose and mouth. Even a bandanna will be helpful in that regard. But the advantage can be negated instantly while you’re taking off or adjusting your mask, so make sure you sanitize your hands before messing with it. Masks don’t cover your eyes, which, as we have seen, are major transmission vectors. This is why professionals in high risk environments wear goggles or full face shields. For that reason, consider wearing glasses or sunglasses with your mask. If you’ve got a big beard or bushy mustache, it could make your mask less effective.

Will the Virus Disappear When the Weather Warms Up?

It’s possible, but not likely. The spread of influenza virtually stops in the summer, so some people are hoping that will be the case with COVID-19, too. But if you’ve ever had a miserable summer cold, you know that coronaviruses are different from influenza viruses. There is currently no evidence warm weather will stop the transmission of COVID-19. And if it does, the virus will just start spreading again in the fall. That’s what happened in the 1918 flu epidemic, and the second wave was much worse than the first.

I’m Young, Healthy, and Feeling Lucky. Why Should I Stay Cooped up in My House?

You might not be likely to die if you get COVID-19, but your grandma could be. Even if you just get a mild case, you may end up infecting, say, two other people, and those people are going to infect four people, and those four people are going to infect eight people, and those eight people are going to infect 16 people, and so on. This is called exponential growth, and the numbers get very big, very fast.

If exponential growth is occurring, as it seems to be, the hospitals will fill up quickly, the ICUs will be crowded with patients waiting on an available ventilator, and many more people will die for lack of care. And that doesn’t even include the normal amount of sick people who need to be in the hospital, but who won’t be able to get in because of all the COVID-19 cases. This is what happened in Wuhan, China, in Lombardy, Italy, and in Iran.

We won’t be able to stop the transmission of the virus. It’s too late for that. But we can slow the transmission of the virus significantly, so that the doctors, nurses, and hospitals have a fighting chance to keep up with new patients and save lives. This is called “flattening the curve,” and it’s been proven to work in South Korea. If everyone cooperates and is vigilant, we can save a lot of lives in the coming months.

Hoarding isn’t necessary, but it’s best to be prepared for a two-week quarantine.

Should I Hoard Supplies?

You should be prepared for a two-week home quarantine, but this is not the zombie apocalypse. The biggest threat to the supply chain right now is not COVID-19, it’s panic buying. There’s no need to hoard supplies. Just buy what you need to keep the pantry stocked. A rush to the grocery store means big crowds, long lines, and more opportunities for infection.

For food, canned goods and dried bulk items that will keep for a long time are your best choices. Electrical service and water supplies are unlikely to be interrupted, so it’s okay to stock your freezer, and you don’t have to buy bottled water. Make sure all your drug prescriptions are filled, and if your health insurance company offers to refill prescriptions by mail, now is a good time to look into that. Make sure you have ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever control and cough medicine in the house in case you get sick. Don’t forget pet food and supplies. And it goes without saying that there’s no need to hoard toilet paper.

Is it Safe to Get Food and Supplies Delivered?

Yes. All food service workers who feel the slightest bit ill should stay home, but even if someone who is infectious but without symptoms prepares your meal, the odds of transmission are low. The possible exception is if, for example, someone coughed into a salad and then sealed it up. Now is a good time to look up the health department score for all your favorite restaurants. The standards industrial kitchens are required to meet are designed to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

As for the delivery driver, since they will be in contact with many different people in the course of their job, they are at much higher risk from you than you are from them. Practice social distancing to protect both of you. Some delivery services are already implementing a policy of dropping off your food at your front door so there’s no direct contact. Tip digitally, not with cash.

As for deliveries from online retailers like Amazon, the risk of transmission is very low. Just be sure you wash your hands after opening your package. Delivery people have been the lifeblood of the Wuhan outbreak zone, and it’s likely that will be the case everywhere soon.

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Coronavirus: The New Normal

“Downtown is a ghost town. We have our staff working from home, per the request of the governor, which will likely go from suggested to mandatory, shortly. Some restaurants have already started closing their doors for a month or more. Half of my staff, including myself, have kids home until March 27th. Hotels are at 30-50 percent occupancy. Most of the arts events have either cancelled or are half empty. Most galas have delayed or cancelled. You can’t get food delivered by Amazon Prime; it says: ‘Check back in the future, we have no delivery times available.'”

A scene from a dystopian sci-fi novel? No, it’s an email from an acquaintance in Seattle, the city that has become ground zero for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States.

Is this what every American city has to look forward to? Hopefully not. The assisted-living facility just outside Seattle where the virus initiated (and from whence it spread) was not utilizing any precautions among staff or patients during the time of the outbreak. The city — and the state — were taken completely by surprise. Visitors to the facility came and went, unknowingly exposing hundreds of locals to the virus. There were no test kits, and the elderly residents of the facility were prime candidates for serious illness; 17 of them have died. State and city officials were quick to urge the “work from home, wash your hands, avoid large gatherings” mantra we are all now hearing, but the damage was done.

The local populace was understandably spooked. The national news media put the Emerald City in the spotlight for weeks. But life goes on in Seattle, despite the headlines and the hype. I’ve read several stories this week on the situation, and I’m encouraged. They’re still tossing big salmon around at Pike Place. The trains are still running. The buskers are still playing on street corners. And the Seattle Sounders’ season opener had a record crowd of 40,000 or so last Sunday — maybe on the theory that a combo of beer and soccer kills coronavirus. I kid. The more likely story is that people have decided that life needs to go on and you can’t keep living in fear. We’re not on a cruise ship — and for that, we should be thankful. Seattle took a viral bullet for all of us.

Just because we’re now all aware and using sanitizer and bumping elbows doesn’t mean we won’t be affected in the Mid-South, but at least it won’t be a sneak attack. Shelby County’s first case of coronavirus was announced last weekend. County, city, school, medical, and corporate leaders are aware and taking precautions. When you walk off the elevator at my office, there’s now a bottle of hand sanitizer. Everyone hits it before they head to their desks. Management has made it clear that if you are the least bit concerned about your health, you work from home. Still, even given the fact that we know it’s coming, the virus will impact Memphis in ways great and small, in ways that can’t be predicted. We’re in the “slow the infection rate” stage.

Here’s one tip I can offer: Don’t listen to President Trump. This isn’t a hoax, it’s not contained, and cases aren’t going to “zero” any time soon. Similarly, don’t listen to the Fox News hosts who are calling this the “coronavirus impeachment” and claiming that the Democrats and the media are hyping the virus to bring down their beloved leader. This is irresponsible in the extreme, especially given the age demographic of most Fox viewers. It would be horribly ironic if this sort of misinformation got some of their viewers killed. (By the way, if it is a hoax, props to the wily Democrats for getting China, Italy, and Iran in on the plot so early.)

So, here we are, uncertain as to how this will all play out. At least for now, I think we should continue to keep living as normally as possible. Distance yourself socially, if you feel that’s the path for you. Contact a doctor immediately if you think you’ve been exposed or if you’ve got symptoms of the virus. The idea is to slow the spread of the disease so that hospitals and medical personnel aren’t overwhelmed. Coronavirus won’t be gone for a while, certainly not by April, if experiences in other countries are an indicator. This is the new normal for now.
Bruce VanWyngarden
brucev@memphisflyer.com

Categories
News News Blog

Coronavirus: Precautionary Steps Being Taken Around Town to Prevent Spread

CREDIT: Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock


As of Tuesday, one case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Shelby County, bringing the total number of patients testing positive for the virus in Tennessee to six.

Shelby County Health Department officials said Monday that 70 individuals are being quarantined as a result of coming into contact with the Shelby County patient. That number could increase as the health department continues to assess the situation.

However, Alisa Haushalter, director of the health department said there is no immediate risk to the general public.


Still, several places around town are taking precautionary steps to prevent the spread of the virus:

Shelby County Schools

Superintendent Joris Ray said Monday that schools will remain open until the district is advised otherwise by health officials.

Ray also said that SCS has formed an internal task force and policy group to respond to the “rapidly changing scenarios.”

Additionally, SCS is suspending all school-sponsored international field trips for March and April.

The Memphis Zoo

In a Monday statement, the zoo said it has been monitoring the developments of the coronavirus.

“Our first priority is always the safety of our guests, staff, and volunteers, and we are taking extra measures to help keep everyone healthy. Our Operations, Food Services, and Animal Care teams continue to disinfect all public areas and restrooms. There are also several hand sanitizing and hand washing stations throughout the zoo.”

Colleges and Universities

University of Memphis president M. David Rudd told students and faculty Monday that all international students travel would be suspended for the rest of the semester. The university previously suspended travel to Level 3 countries — China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea.

The email to the campus community also noted that anyone already overseas will be self-quarantined before returning to campus. The university has not suspended domestic travel, but advises the campus to “exercise judgement when considering domestic travel.”

The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center also suspended international travel indefinitely Monday and advised students and faculty to limit personal international travel and inform the Office of International Affairs if they do travel abroad.

It’s spring break at Rhodes College, but senior officials have a plan to meet daily this week to review the situation. A spokesperson for the college said Rhodes has a plan to do implement remote learning, “should it become necessary.”

The school has also suspended non-essential domestic and international travel and advised students that some on campus events of a certain size may be postponed or cancelled.

St. Jude

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital officials said Monday that there are plans to halt work travel and hospital tours, as well as limit visitation:

“St. Jude is closely monitoring the global COVID-19 outbreak. Our goal is to ensure a safe place for our patients, their families and all employees. Because COVID-19 poses a health risk, we are limiting visitors to only invited guests and are postponing tours until further notice. We have also stopped work travel for the time being. We appreciate our community’s support of St. Jude and everyone’s help in keeping our patients safe.”

The Airport

The Memphis International Airport is under normal operations and has not “experienced any significant impacts at this point,” according to an airport spokesperson.

The airport is taking precautionary steps though, including increasing janitorial staffing, in order to clean and sanitize high contact areas more frequently. While the airport’s restaurant and retail vendors are also taking additional cleaning steps. The airport has also added hand sanitizer dispensers at different locations throughout the airport.

MATA

The Memphis Area Transit Authority is working in close contact with the health department to monitor the spread of the virus, according to a MATA spokesperson.

MATA is cleaning its vehicles on a daily basis and is working to implement additional measures such as deep cleanings on buses and in transit centers, as well as more frequent cleanings of bus shelters.

Here are some precautions that the health department advises the general public to take: 


• Washing hands with liquid soap and water, and rubbing for at least 20 seconds, or using alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water are not available

• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing

• Staying home if you are sick, especially with respiratory symptoms

• Regularly cleaning surfaces touched by many people

Check the health department’s webpage dedicated to COVID-19 for more information.


This story will be updated.