New scare. The local numbers are rising again. Hospitalizations are going up substantially. Area hospitals are discussing surge plans. There is new concern the field hospital may be needed.
Governor Lee has extended the state of emergency.
Placing blame. Local health officials point to these contributing factors: rural counties with no mask mandates, youth sports and weekend soccer events in the suburbs.
Mask mandates. Memphis area hospital systems urge masking but political figures want them (double or triple) mandated:
- Governor Lee has extended countywide mask mandate authority.
- Bartlett’s mayor wants a statewide mask mandate.
- Dr. Fauci wants a national mask mandate.
Wearing masks. The Shelby County Health Department says there is already widespread masking.
As reported by News Channel 3, “mask usage went from around 50 percent to more than 90 percent in Shelby County after a mask mandate was introduced this summer.”
As reported by the Daily Memphian, “in Shelby County, more than 90% are wearing masks.” This information has been removed from an updated version of the story.
Stubborn facts. In addition to the already widespread usage of masks, here’s what else seems to be lost in the calls for increasing government powers:
- The surge isn’t just local or even national, it’s global.
- Following the “science” hasn’t stopped new cases from rising.
- Countries with mask mandates are returning to lockdowns.
- Spread is occurring within households.
- The virus spreads through aerosol transmission.
In the news. Some additional headlines:
- LocalMemphis: Where are Shelby County’s COVID-19 clusters?
- LocalMemphis: Shelby County keeps most COVID-19 cluster information from public
- Fox13Memphis: How and where you can vote safely if you have COVID-19 symptoms on Election Day
- WMCActionNews5: Tiger at Tennessee zoo tests positive for COVID-19
This week: Below, we check in on the local, state and national numbers.
Shelby County
Tennessee
USA
Sources:
Shelby County: Shelby County Health Department
Tennessee: Tennessee Department of Health
U.S.A.: Johns Hopkins University