MEMPHIS, Tenn — "This is vitally dangerous time for us to try and control the spread, because the numbers are exponentially growing," David Sweat with the Shelby County Health Department said.
On a record setting COVID-19 day in Shelby County Tuesday, there's a new warning from health experts.
"If we continue in the same direction, we will have to make some decisions that are again countywide decisions," Shelby County Health Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter said.
That could mean the return of certain temporary restrictions to slow the spread.
Those with the Shelby County Health Department said gyms and restaurants that sell more booze than food could be first, based on interviews with 450 people who were recently infected.
"Those are the kind of settings right now that the information we are gathering suggest is where the virus is being transmitted the most," Sweat said.
Health experts said maskless indoor gatherings among families and friends are also contributing to the record spike in new cases and hospitalizations.
"That's making it difficult not only for the hospital systems, but also for the public health system to do contact tracing," Dr. Haushalter said.
"With Anderson testing positive, it definitely woke both of us up," Deondra Henderson said.
Henderson and her fiancé Anderson Guy are finishing their quarantine. Guy tested positive for COVID-19 last week, after being infected at a family gathering. While his symptoms are relatively minor, the couple's message to the community is serious.
"Some families are really being hit hard by this and are losing loved ones, and it's a little bit selfish for us not being willing to social distance," Henderson said.
This week, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris will meet with other county mayors in west Tennessee, in the hopes leaders of those 21 counties without a mandatory mask mandate will implement one soon to get the region more on the same page.
