SHELBY COUNTY, Tennessee —
NEWS RELEASE FROM SHELBY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Shelby County Health Department Recommends Shelby County Remain in Phase II of the Back to Business Plan Until June 15, 2020
SHELBY COUNTY, TN – The Shelby County Health Department recommends that Shelby County and all municipalities remain in Phase II of reopening until June 15, 2020.
The recommendation comes after careful analysis of data since the move to Phase II on May 19, 2020. We have seen an increase in daily case numbers, particularly after the Memorial Day weekend. For that reason, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and the Shelby County Health Department have decided to maintain the current COVID-19 response level at this time.
Unless there are extraordinary changes in the metrics between now and June 15th, we expect to be able advance to Phase III on that date, but in the meantime, the Health Department will continue to monitor new cases, positivity rate, reproduction rate, testing capacity, hospital capacity, and public health capacity.
Throughout the shutdown, the Shelby County Health Department has been advising businesses and other organizations about their plans for reopening. We have compiled resources and helpful FAQs on this web page: www.shelbytnhealth.com/healthdirectives.
Businesses, academic institutions, community groups, and other organizations may submit proposals for reopening plans to covid@shelbycountytn.gov.
To continue to move forward with reopening, we must all do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, workplaces and homes. We ask each of you to continue:
- Practicing social distancing – keeping at least six feet away from others
- Wearing a mask or facial covering while in public, at work, or around persons from outside of your household
- Washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds
- Getting tested – we have significant testing capacity in Shelby County, but it is being under utilized
- Isolating and quarantining – isolating when positive for COVID-19 and quarantining after exposure to COVID-19
- Protecting our most vulnerable populations:
- Nursing/care home residents
- Seniors
- Individuals who live in congregate settings such as jails or prisons
- Individuals with chronic health conditions
We all must take the individual actions necessary to control the spread of the virus in order to move our community forward in reopening our society and businesses.
For more information about COVID-19 and community testing, please call the Shelby County Health Department’s COVID-19 hotline (833-943-1658) or visit the Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage: shelbytnhealth.com/coronavirus.
