MEMPHIS, Tenn. — COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus and cases are spreading around the Mid-South since the virus arrived in the United States in February.
At Local 24, our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit our coronavirus section for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about COVID-19, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here.
We will continue to track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Memphis and the Mid-South on this page. Refresh often for new information
LIVE UPDATES
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson gives update on COVID-19 response in the state
1:30 p.m. - Governor Asa Hutchinson confirms 51 new cases, bringing the total in the state to 1,620 cases.
There are now 37 deaths in Arkansas; 4 additional since Wednesday. 85 people are hospitalized.
Gov. Hutchinson signed two new executive orders, involving first responders and COVID-19 workers comp claims and liability immunity for medical emergency responders.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memphis & Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force Update
12:00 p.m. - The COVID-19 Joint Task Force update Mayor Jim Strickland, Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings and the Shelby County Health Department.
--------------------------------------------------------
Mississippi reports 264 new cases, 7 new deaths
10:20 a.m. - The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting 264 new cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, with 7 new deaths. The total of coronavirus cases since March 11 is now 3,624, with 129 deaths.
There are 211 total confirmed cases in Desoto County, with 3 deaths, and one outbreak at a long-term care facility.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shelby County reports 76 new confirmed cases & 1 additional death
10:00 a.m. - The Shelby County Health Department reports there are now 1,508 confirmed cases in the county, and 32 deaths.
15,667 people have been tested in the county.
6,079 total cases in Tennessee.
The Shelby County Health Department is investigating clusters of infection in a number of facilities that serve vulnerable populations.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Pet Food Donations Needed for COVID-19 Relief
Donations of pet food will help keep pets with Shelby County pet parents who've lost income due to COVID-19.
The Shelby County Animal Welfare Coalition, in support of the Memphis/Shelby County Joint Covid Task Force, will launch a temporary pet food pantry to assist pet parents residing in Shelby County who’ve lost income due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The primary pet food physical donation drop-off point is Memphis Animal Services at 2350 Appling City Cove.
Donors can leave food items at the shelter under the blue awning outside of the gate on the bench marked with a sign reading: “DONATIONS.” MAS is the preferred drop-off point as this is where recipients will pick up their items, but additional drop-off locations include:
- Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County, 935 Farm Road (at ADOPTIONS door)
- Germantown Animal Shelter, 7700 Southern Avenue (bench in front of building)
Supporters can also order pet food online to be shipped to MAS at 2350 Appling City Cove, Memphis, Tennessee, 38133:
- Order from Amazon wish list
- Order from any online retailer and have shipped to the address above
---------------------------------------------------------------
Memphis International Airport to receive $24.68 million from CARES Act
Memphis International Airport (MEM) will receive more than $24.68 million in relief funds from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Airport Grant Program (CARES) Act airport grants that were announced Tuesday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The CARES Act funding, which totals $24,687,552, will help offset lost revenue due to the dramatic decrease in passenger traffic due to COVID-19. Passenger numbers have dropped by as much as 95% at MEM, which is consistent with the nationwide average decline in air travel.
Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), which operates MEM, receives no local tax revenue and has no taxing authority. MSCAA’s revenue comes primarily through rates and charges such as leased space for tenants, landed weight (passenger and cargo airlines), and non-aeronautical revenue such as a parking, rental cars, terminal concessions, and other fees. The airport has experienced a dramatic drop in revenues due to the passenger decrease. The relief funds will help to offset the loss of revenue and allow essential services to continue to be provided.
The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority’s two general aviation airports, General DeWitt Spain and Charles W. Baker, will each receive $69,000 in funding from the FAA.
“This relief funding will provide short-term relief for MEM’s finances, which have been significantly impacted by the pandemic,” said Scott Brockman, MSCAA President and CEO. “While we expect a gradual recovery of the airline industry, the timing is uncertain at this point, and moving forward, MEM is significantly reducing expenditures and non-essential capital projects in order to address the new budget reality. However, our city, our nation, the aviation industry, and our airport have overcome tremendous adversity before, and we will again.”
---------------------------------------------------------------
2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational rescheduled
As a result of changes to the professional golf calendar announced Thursday by the PGA TOUR resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational is moving back four weeks on the PGA TOUR schedule and will now be played July 30-August 2 at TPC Southwind. The World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational was previously scheduled for July 2-5 but will now move back into the week formerly occupied by the Summer Olympics, which have since been postponed to 2021.
Memphis has held a PGA TOUR event every year since 1958, and 2020 will mark Memphis’ second year hosting a World Golf Championships event. Once again, the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational will raise funds and awareness for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since 1970, Memphis’ PGA TOUR stop has raised more than $43 million for St. Jude, helping to ensure patients’ families never receive a bill and can focus solely on helping their child.
In 2019, World No. 2 Brooks Koepka battled World No. 1 Rory McIlroy throughout the final round on the way to his first World Golf Championships victory in front of record crowds.
Tickets to the 2020 World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational remain on sale, click here.
------------------------------------------
Record 22 million have sought US jobless aid since virus
The wave of layoffs that has engulfed the U.S. economy since the coronavirus struck forced 5.2 million more people to seek unemployment benefits last week, the government reported Thursday.
Roughly 22 million have sought jobless benefits in the past month — easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record. All told, roughly nearly 12 million people are now receiving unemployment checks, roughly matching the peak reached in January 2010, shortly after the Great Recession officially ended.
Some economists say the unemployment rate could reach as high as 20% in April, which would be the highest rate since the Great Depression of the 1930s. By comparison, unemployment never topped 10% during the Great Recession.
In Tennessee there have been 324,500 new claims filed since March 15.
Layoffs are spreading beyond service industries like hotels, bars and restaurants, which absorbed the brunt of the initial job cuts, into white collar professional occupations, including software programmers, construction workers and sales people.
Collectively, the job cuts could produce unemployment on an epic scale. Up to 50 million jobs are vulnerable to coronavirus-related layoffs, economists say — about one-third of all positions in the United States. That figure is based on a calculation of jobs that are deemed non-essential by state and federal governments and that cannot be done from home.
The U.S. economy is tumbling into what appears to be a calamitous recession, the worst in decades. Ryan Sweet, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimates that the nation’s output will shrink 10.5% before it starts to rebound. That would be more than double the contraction that occurred during the 2008-2009 recession, which was the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Retailers and other service companies keep cutting jobs. The electronics chain Best Buy said this week that it will furlough 51,000 of its hourly employees, including nearly all its part-time workers. Royal Caribbean Cruises will cut one-quarter of its 5,000 corporate employees.
------------------------------------------
Coronavirus in Context:
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80-percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.