COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — The threat of COVID exposure prompted Collierville to close its municipal offices for now, but another Shelby County town, Arlington, says it’s staying open.
In-person services for the town of Collierville are halted right now, so if you plan to any kind of bills or taxes in person, you need to pick up the phone or head online.
Town leaders say part of the reason they decided to close all municipal buildings is they want to be proactive in cases there is a COVID-19 case spike after Christmas.
“The reason we felt like we needed to do this is, right after Thanksgiving, we had an increase in the number of cases, the number of employees getting sick,” Town Administrator James Lewellen said.
Lewellen said they also have to keep in mind the number of employees who’ve had an exposure and have to quarantine.
“For the last six weeks we’ve had as many as 41 employees out due to quarantine because they’ve been exposed to someone,” he said.
Lewellen said they’ve only had between seven to 10 employees actually get sick, but they need to make sure they protect different city divisions from having too many employees out.
Town services are still fully open for service by phone or online. Collierville plans to watch the numbers and monitor from there, potentially reopening at the end of January.
Thirty minutes up the road in Arlington, people can still visit City Hall in person. In a letter dated December 23, Mayor Mike Wissman along with the town’s board of aldermen sent a letter to the Shelby County Health Department saying they feel strongly the latest health directive was premature.
They say it’s led to problematic issues, among them mental health problems and businesses closures.
Health Directive 16 reduces indoor dining to 25% and cuts down on other business capacity.
“Looking at the businesses around here, it’s tough on them,” Wissman said. “I mean, we’re in a small community and these small business owners really rely on foot traffic or the options to be able to open even with restrictions.”
The letter also goes on to say other measures should’ve been taken into consideration such as better public relations, outreach and education as to how individuals can make a difference.
“I think at this point in the pandemic, and this is just my personal opinion, that people know what’s at stake and they will follow rules if you give them rules but if you try to hold them back too much, that’s where we’re seeing the resistance,” Wissman said.
The Shelby County Health Department said its director did not wish to comment on Arlington’s letter.
