MEMPHIS, Tenn — "We want to be part of the solution. We don't feel like we are part of the problem," incoming Memphis Restaurant Association President Mike Miller said.
Shelby County restaurant owners are again adjusting to new rules - and a new normal - in the latest Shelby County health directive.
"We aren't talking about the businesses, we are talking about the families that those businesses support," Miller said.
Monday, Memphis Restaurant Association members bounced off ideas on how to stay afloat amid new restrictions which took effect this week.
The latest directive limits occupancy to 50% for any business that serves food or alcohol. Those businesses must close at 10:00 p.m. and customers must wear masks at all times unless they are eating or drinking.
"We want to serve the public safely and follow the rules and do all of those things. And at this juncture we need clarity, we need understanding of why the decisions are being made," Miller said.
"It is a really difficult balancing act," Shelby County Health Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter said.
Dr. Haushalter said Tuesday the temporary restaurant measures were the least restrictive possible. She argued the measures are still necessary to slow the spread, as the health department projects a surge of more than 500 hospitalized with COVID-19 on Christmas Day.
"Our systems are strained with capacity. These decisions are not made lightly. They are not made in isolation," Dr. Haushalter said.
Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph said the latest directive could be in place into 2021, so health experts can best gauge the impact of how those temporary restrictions will stabilize the situation and cut down on community spread.
