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COVID-19 Update from Mayor Strickland (4/1)

Earlier today, I had the chance to speak with local grocers. There was one common theme that kept coming up–please, if you can, only have one family member grocery shop at a time. This helps with social distancing by having less people in store at the same time and also allows the staff to restock the shelves.

Hopefully, you’re seeing that we are doing everything we can to spread the word and remind everyone about the importance of social distancing. To further push out that message, I recorded a radio spot yesterday. I’m going to apologize now because you’re going to be hearing it a lot over the next several days.

To listen to the reminder, click below.

Positive Cases by Zip Code

Below is a breakdown of the 497 positive cases by zip code provided by the Shelby County Health Department. As you can see, the virus has spread to all parts of Shelby County.

Faith Leaders

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been in regular communication with local religious leaders to keep them informed and give guidance on how to slow the spread of the virus. We had our third conference call this morning.

Dr. Manoj Jain, a local infectious disease specialist and contract employee of the City, joined the group today. In his remarks, he gave his expert medical opinion on the continued importance of social distancing and urging the group not to hold in-person religious services until we get through this. His message was well-received and also gave the faith leaders a chance to ask any questions they might have had. We will continue these calls for as long as they are necessary.

Mid-South COVID-19 Regional Response Fund

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been urging individuals, businesses, and foundations to make contributions to the Mid-South COVID-19 Regional Response Fund at the Community Foundation. To date, donors have contributed $781,000 total, with $415,000 awarded in its first two weeks of operation.

Examples of organizations that have received grants can be seen below:

YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South: $100,000 to provide food service for Shelby County Schools students

Welcome to Memphis: $30,000: to award emergency grants to restaurant and hospitality workers

Community Alliance for the Homeless: $25,000 to house the newly homeless for 30 days

Neighborhood Christian Centers: $20,000 to provide family support and food stability

To see a full listing of grantees, learn more and donate online, visit cfgm.org/COVID

Drive-thru Testing Reminder at Tiger Lane

Just a reminder about testing. No provider referral required! Testing is free. You will need an appointment, and you won’t get tested if you’re not experiencing compatible symptoms. See below for more.

Shelby County Health Department COVID-19 Daily Update: April 1, 2020

COVID-19 Cases
Shelby County Cases 497
Deaths 3
Total Tested in Shelby County 5506
Tennessee Total Cases 2,239*
*As of 2:00 p.m. 3/31/20
Other Jurisdictions:
Tipton County, TN 21
Desoto County, MS 84
Crittenden County, AR 29
Numbers current as of 10:00 a.m. 4/1/2020

Shelby County currently has 497 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Two additional deaths attributed to COVID-19 were reported to the Shelby County Health Department this morning, bringing the total number of deaths in Shelby County attributed to COVID-19 to 3.

The Health Department’s investigation of an outbreak at Carriage Court of Memphis assisted living facility continues.

  • The Health Department has tested 22 persons at the facility, including residents and staff.
  • Of that number, 20 results have been returned, and 2 are still pending.
  • Of the 20 results, 4 were positive and 16 were negative.
  • Prior to the Health Department’s involvement, 2 residents were tested by other health providers and found to be positive for COVID-19.
  • To date, there are a total of 6 positive cases at the facility, including 5 residents and 1 employee.

Carriage Court of Memphis is taking appropriate actions to contain the virus. The employee who tested positive is recovering at home in isolation.

Here is a breakdown of current cases in Shelby County by age range:

Shelby County Health Department has added a data page to its COVID-19 webpage: www.shelbytnhealth.com/coronavirus.  It includes information about the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases in Shelby County.

The Health Department is committed to providing as much information as possible to the public as the COVID-19 situation continues to develop. The Health Department’s hotline number (833-943-1658).