MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s a reality check for people wanting to get back to business in Shelby County.
Tuesday, Dr. Alisa Haushalter - the Shelby County Health Director - said the needed data isn't there yet to set a date on the first of three reopening phases.
The news came one day after Shelby County mayors unveiled a joint reopening plan.
"We are not at a place yet to say 'oh, we are going to set a date in a day or two days,'" Dr. Haushalter said.
Dr. Haushalter asked the community to keep social distancing and stay patient, as experts crunch the data. That will determine when they can give the green light to reopen Shelby County restaurants and stores at half capacity - and gyms, churches, and libraries at a quarter capacity.
"We are not going to set a date from our end until we know we've reached the criteria," Dr. Haushalter said.
That criteria for phase one of Memphis and Shelby County's 'Back to Business' reopening plan includes stable or decreased cases in a 14-day period, along with enough ICU beds, tests, and staffing for contact investigations and case monitoring.
Tuesday, we learned 78% of the contact investigations are now closed, with more than 4000 contacts identified and nearly 1900 people currently being actively monitored.
"We do anticipate that our staffing needs will continue to grow. Again, to stay open, we really have to do contact tracing well, and stay on top of that," Dr. Haushalter said.
The Shelby County health director also said Tuesday work continues to raise the testing capacity to the ideal level of 2400 to 3000 tests daily in Shelby County.
