MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Access to public parks is being restricted, and more businesses could soon shutdown as health officials are still battling the novel coronavirus in the Mid-South
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Monday he is limiting the access to public parks in reaction to large crowds seen over the last week.
“Unfortunately some people are not taking this seriously,” Strickland said. “For the health of our city, they must start now.”
Things across the city are changing due to the pandemic. Strickland is now providing updates in an empty room over video app Zoom, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Monday’s virtual press conference, he said more businesses could be closing in an effort to enforce social distancing.
“I will then consult Dr. (Alisa) Haushalter, Dr. (Manoj) Jain, Dr. (Jeff) Warren, look at the CDC guidelines and then see if that list needs to be narrowed even more,” Strickland said.
Strickland ended the press conference with a few unanswered questions. He did not comment on whether the outbreak in Memphis has gotten as bad as medical experts predicted. He extended the ‘Stay-at-Home’ order for the city but did not say when it would expire.
“Things will get worse before they get better,” he said. “But they will get better.”
Other local leaders are expressing concern about people in underserved communities having access to medical supplies and services, specifically pointing out North and South Memphis.
“We have to look at it from a standpoint where we want anybody, regardless of their demographic or where they live, to have access to testing or a facility that has medical service,” Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford, Jr. said.
According to a press release from Ford on Monday, three Memphis-area hotels and motels are offering rooms to any medical facility that needs extra space as the number of COVID-19 cases is expected to increase.
“Capacity is something that people are working on right now, but until we get to that particular long term goal, let’s look at short-term and solve some of those problems,” Ford said.