SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Local health officials continue to express optimism as Shelby County battles coronavirus, but every Mid-South state received an F grade from a leading social distancing grading service.
The battle against the coronavirus is still in its early stages, but local leaders are encouraged by variables such as medical resource availability, business regulations and most importantly positivity rating.
“That’s one of our best tools actually, to be able to keep opening up, if we can keep that transmission rate low,” said Dr. Jeff Warren, a Memphis City Councilman on the local COVID-19 task force.
“We see that stabilizing, and we see some indications that it may even be going downward,” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said.
But the popular social distancing grading system Unacast continues to project concern in the Mid-South.
Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi all received F grades, as well as Shelby County. But doctors said the system is imperfect and using factors like distance traveled or nonessential trips has different effects across the country.
“Your phone’s going to show you moving around a lot, but you may be doing everything the way you’re supposed to be doing it,” Dr. Warren said. “I think people are generally doing a good job.”
Phase 2 for Memphis’ back-to-business plan can begin at least 14 days after Phase 1 began, but doctors project a longer wait.
They said shifts in data to indicate whether new guidelines are working usually occur around the two-week mark.
“That’s when we know if it’s starting to make a difference in the wrong direction,” Dr. Warren said. “We could have been seeing it already.”
Experts continue to emphasize not just patience, but adaptability to what has become the new normal.
The first potential day for Phase 2 in Memphis and Shelby County would be next Monday, May 18.