MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis medical professionals laid out a list of safety measures businesses will have to follow once phase one of reopening the city begins.
Dr. Bruce Randolph, with the Shelby County Health Department, explained what had to be done during a press conference on Tuesday.
He also said 85 percent of ICU capacity must be available for phase one to begin.
However, local leaders are not specifying when it will happen.
“We understand the community would like to have a date,” Director of the Shelby County Health Department Dr. Alisa Haushalter said. “It helps with planning and we know that but it’s important we stay data driven and don’t risk a resurgence of illness.”
Haushalter says officials are waiting to see if the spike of more than 200 cases over the weekend is a trend or an outlier. They reported a much smaller spike Tuesday of less than 40 new cases.
According to Haushalter, the spike could be due to new testing sites opening. However, they are still having issues with people showing up.
“There are a variety of reasons why people may opt to not get tested. Distrust is one. Other people might not have insurance and think they have to pay for it or fear they might not be able to go to work,” Haushalter said,
A group of pastors gathered at Church Health on Tuesday morning to try to combat that idea.
“We want to make people aware this is free,” Pastor Ricky Floyd of the Pursuit of God Transformation Center said. “You don’t have to come with any money out of your pocket.”
“It’s better to be quarantined a few weeks than to be gone forever,” said Pastor Greg Diaz with Nueva Direccion.
Dr. Haushalter said the health department had become aware of fears specific to the Latino community; she promised a patient’s testing information would never get passed on to immigration authorities.
