MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People living across Shelby County are now allowed to gather in groups of up to 50 people but that does not mean life is back to normal.
“You’re still expected to adhere to the individual safety measures that we have in place,” Dr. Bruce Randolph with the Shelby County Health Department said. “Such as safe distancing, and wearing a mask or face covering.”
Memphis and Shelby County entered phase two of the ‘Back to Business’ plan on Monday.
This means larger groups will be allowed everywhere from restaurants to gyms to tourist attractions but health officials will still be watching the pandemic closely.
“Very specific data that we receive through contact tracing lets us know if there are cases that are linked to a specific activity or location,” Director of the Shelby County Health Department Dr. Alisa Haushalter said.
If a business is not sanitizing or handling crowds responsibly, code enforcement will step in.
If residents notice something wrong or feel uncomfortable about a gathering, they can call the mayor’s Action Center or the 311 office.
Officials say the public feels comfortable when leaving their homes.
“That’s one of the things we have followed over the last 14 days. Again, there have been some complaints but the majority of people have been adhering to the social distancing requirements,” Dr. Haushalter said.
The Shelby County Health Department says it reviews contact tracing and complaint trends in their daily COVID-19 task force meeting.