COVID-19 Update from Mayor Strickland (4/6)

What we do today will determine what the surge will be like when it hits. By practicing social distancing today, it provides the best guarantee that we will be safe from coronavirus tomorrow. The virus feeds on our social interactions. We need to starve the virus. So, now is the time for all of us to double down on our actions.

To help with that, we will be extending our Safer at home order through April 21^st.

Over the last several days, we’ve received many questions about our homeless population. I want you to know they are top of mind and here’s what we’re doing:

• Coordinating with a number of agencies in order to ensure that homeless individuals and families are able to shelter in place.  The agencies include Shelby County Government, MIFA, Community Alliance for the Homeless, Hospitality HUB, and many others.
• Secured two hotels with a total of 60 rooms for the next 30 days, which will serve single women and homeless families. 
• Currently working to secure additional hotel rooms to support homeless men in partnership with Hospitality Hub, MIFA and Union Mission.
• Currently collaborating with Health Dept and other healthcare agencies to identify a strategy for mobile COVID19 testing, in the case that there is a need.

So many Memphians are coming together to help one another.

In a widespread effort to share our message, we have partnered with Vaco, Memphis Tourism, Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association, Memphis Housing Authority, and the Memphis Restaurant association. Through Vaco and a grant from the Community Foundation, we are in the process of setting up a call center that will temporarily employ members of the restaurant and tourism industries to call on Memphis Housing Authority residents. These phone calls will be made to check on the health and status of MHA residents, as well as, reinforcing the message to stay home and practice CDC recommendations. We hope to have the call center fully operational in the next week.

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, individual, corporate, and foundation donors have contributed $1,536,518 to the fund and $821,000 has been deployed to help worthy organizations.

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

Shelby County Health Department COVID-19 Daily Update: April 6, 2020

COVID-19 Cases
Shelby County Cases	789
Deaths	13
Total Tested in Shelby County	8915
Tennessee Total Cases	3,802* *As of 2:00 p.m. 4/6/20
Other Jurisdictions:
Tipton County, TN	33
Desoto County, MS	132
Crittenden County, AR	53
Numbers current as of 10:00 a.m. 4/5/2020

Shelby County currently has 789 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The total number of deaths in Shelby County attributed to COVID-19 to 13.

Map of COVID-19 cases in Shelby County as of 04/05/2020

• 

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

• 

COVID-19 Cases in Shelby County by Age as of 04/05/2020

• 

Data Source: National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS)

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.

All of Shelby County, including the municipalities and the unincorporated areas are under Safer at Home orders. Only essential businesses as spelled out in Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’s executive order of March 24, 2020, may remain open to the public. All assemblies and gatherings of more than 10 people outside of a private residence are prohibited. The list of essential and non-essential businesses can be viewed here:

For more information about the Safer at Home order or to register concerns, the public may contact:

· The City of Memphis 3-1-1 line

· The Shelby County Mayor’s Action Line: 901-222-2300

· The Shelby County Health Department’s COVID-19 Hotline: 833-943-1658

· Email shelbytnhealth@shelbycountytn.gov.