MEMPHIS, Tenn — "There is not a rural virus and an urban virus," Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said. "We are still in the fight against COVID-19."
The message Tuesday came from leaders in both Shelby County and Haywood County.
"I'm begging with you, pleading with you that you take caution," Brownsville, TN Mayor Bill Rawls said.
They shared a common chorus of concern as COVID-19 cases surge across West Tennessee.
"When we have gatherings with family and friends, that can turn from a cluster outbreak to a community outbreak in a very short period of time," Mayor Rawls said.
According to 'Covid Act Now', five west Tennessee counties are in the top 10 statewide for per capita COVID cases.
That's straining both Memphis hospitals and smaller facilities in the West Tennessee Healthcare system, where COVID patients nearly doubled in the past month.
"What happens in Fayette County and Shelby and Tipton it has an impact on what we are doing in our region," Amy Garner with West Tennessee Healthcare said.
The list of leaders asking for a statewide mask mandate is growing. After the Germantown board of aldermen passed a resolution Monday night calling for one, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris spoke up for it as well.
"It would be great to see a state intervention with masks and other protections that could apply to all of us across the state. But until then, we have to keep working together," Mayor Harris said.
While he hasn't ordered a statewide mask mandate, Gov. Bill Lee does allow individual county mayors to do so. 21 of Tennessee's 95 counties currently have a mask mandate in place, making up about 63% of the state's population.
Tuesday, those at the Shelby County Health Department also said in a recent study among a group infected with COVID, more than half either didn't show symptoms or had mild symptoms, and went out like normal and spread it to others before testing positive.
"Out in the community, going to work, going to school, doing their activities of daily living, going to church, and they were shedding the virus - and that's why the virus is spreading," David Sweat said.
For now, there are no calls to bring back any restrictions, but Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph said, "if, in the worst case scenario, things get worse, then of course we would have to backtrack. I envision that it would be more in a step fashion, that is identifying where the increases are occurring."
