MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
From Washington to the city of Memphis, testing for COVID-19 dominated the conversation Friday. Earlier this week President Donald Trump and state leaders announced plans to begin reopening for business. Doctors pushed back saying relaxing “stay at home” orders would be dangerous without knowing how many coronavirus cases there are.
Now, if testing wasn't available to you before, you're being urged to be tested. The only word we've heard more than COVID-19 Friday is testing. The plan presented by governors across the country, including Tennessee, and the White House call for reopening in phases, but doctors and some lawmakers say if we're going to get back to business we've got to beat the virus. Now, the rush is on to test people that were never tested before.
"If you are not feeling well --for any reason-- we encourage you to go out there and get tested. It will give us a greater understanding of how the virus is moving in our state," said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in a Twitter message to Tennesseans, Friday.
It all comes down to testing if Tennessee and the rest of the United States are to reopen for business. Testing was also the total focus of the White House daily COVID-19 news conference Friday.
While U.S. and state leaders are now on the same page with the understanding that more about how many COVID-19 cases there are tests are now being made available to asymptomatic, indigenous, inner city, and the most vulnerable populations.
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The plan to reopen the states now depends on more testing. Among the stipulations phase one communities must have adequate beds for patients, having adequate PPE for healthcare workers, and adequate tests.
Dr. Stephen Threlkeld with Baptist Hospital says it might be harder for us to show a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases because so many in Shelby County have yet to be tested.
"We've talked several times about having adequate testing is key to what's knowing what's going on in the community. Really, the sooner we get that the better we'll be able to know that it's the right thing or appropriate thing to open up a community or sector of that community"
The plan to reopen states carries requirements for moving on to phase 2 of reopening, but critics wonder if the White House and some state leaders are willing to sacrifice the health of Americans for the sake of money and politics. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee reemphasizing the opening of pop-up drive-thru testing centers and increased testing facilities across the state.