MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis City Council approved a resolution supporting the Shelby County Health Department’s latest health directive Tuesday.
Dr. Jeff Warren proposed the resolution.
“We need to back the Health Department. They’ve been receiving death threats and all sorts of things for trying to keep our community safe,” he said.
The proposal also drew out a personal plea from Councilmember Rhonda Logan who shared she recently recovered from COVID-19.
“There are those who lost their lives. Every day I was dealing with this I was hearing that. What that does to a person that has tested positive, only those who have experienced that can understand,” she said.
Along those lines, infectious disease specialist Dr. Manoj Jain shared grim statistics to rationalize the latest restrictions.
“The number of deaths will essentially double in Shelby County in the next two months. That is why public health individuals including Dr. Haushalter are all quite concerned of what is to come,” he said.
But some councilmembers were skeptical.
“The restaurants that are complying and doing the right thing, I’m very concerned about mom and pop businesses are going to go out of business,” Frank Colvett said.
“To have an emergency meeting to vote on this feels like a misfire,” Worth Morgan said.
Colvett challenged Health Department director Dr. Alisa Haushalter to justify their decision to limit restaurants to 25 percent capacity. The limitation is a compromise so as to not shutter restaurants completely.
“We know if an individual is infectious for a period of two days before testing or having symptoms, they continue to work and engage in social activities. So we know people are in public places, including restaurants, when they pose a risk to others. That’s the data we have to use,” Haushalter said.
In the absence of national and statewide protocols, Haushalter said Shelby County officials are doing everything they can to keep people safe and protect hospital capacities.
In the end, eight councilmembers voted in favor of the resolution, with Morgan and Colvett abstaining.
Councilmembers are also considering giving up 75 percent of their council salaries during the period of the stay-at-home order. They decided to plan how they’d use the money before voting on the idea.
