MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
As Shelby County announced plans to reopen for business, some of you may be confused by the decision against the backdrop of increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in this part of the state.
Just like all the other uncertainties this coronavirus pandemic has brought, doctors admit that nobody really knows what will happen once more people are doing business together. Local leaders have said a lot of what happens depends on people following the guidelines under which approved businesses are allowed to open.
One of the things that tends to get lost in the hype around reopening is that national and local leaders have said if COVID-19 numbers begin to rise amidst reopenings, we could see a reversal of course back to closures.
But, Dr. Stephen Threlkeld of Baptist Hospitals says the most important thing to remember is that access to testing will make the difference.
"That's one of the reasons the precursors to phase one nationally, locally, just about anywhere has been adequate testing, adequate capabilities for the hospitals to admit people, and have then in the hospitals if there are more sick folks, adequate capability to do contact tracing for those positives to prevent other positives to come from the positives we measure," said Threlkeld.
Health officials have repeatedly said Shelby County was behind in testing, which is what's led to a spike in numbers.
And while you can't catch COVID-19 from somebody across town, it's quite possible we'll see more positive cases as people begin to get back together.