Safer at home edict: What you can and cannot do
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland issued a Safer at Home executive order Monday that will limit what Memphians can and cannot do. The order goes into effect at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The city posted an FAQ on its COVID-19 website to attempt to clarify what activities are or are not permitted during the Safer at Home order:
The bottom line
Residents of Memphis are required to stay inside their homes unless they are engaged in certain “essential activities” or “essential travel”. On those occasions when you are out of your home for necessary tasks, stay at least six feet away from others. Businesses defined as essential will be allowed to remain open, but are required to comply with Social Distancing Requirements.
You can
❚ Go to the grocery, convenience or warehouse store
❚ Go to the pharmacy to pick up medications and other healthcare necessities
❚ Go to medical appointments (check with your doctor or provider first)
❚ Go to a restaurant for take-out, delivery or drive-thru
❚ Care for child, family member, elderly, or pet
❚ Take a walk, ride your bike, hike, jog and be in nature for exercise — just keep at least six feet between you and others.
❚ Walk your pets and take them to the veterinarian if necessary
❚ Help someone to get necessary supplies
❚ Receive deliveries from any business which delivers
You should not
❚ Go to work unless you are providing essential services as defined by the Order
❚ Visit friends and family if there is no urgent need
❚ Visit loved ones in the hospital, nursing home, skilled nursing facility or other residential care facility, except for limited exceptions as provided on the facility websites.
Frequently asked questions:
Is this Order mandatory?
Yes. This is a legally enforceable order.
Are there curfews attached to this order?
No.
Do I need a letter or voucher to travel on city streets and highways?
No, a letter or voucher is not required to travel. A letter from your employer is not required to travel to and from work.
Why is this happening now?
This Safer at Home Order is being issued now because it is urgent that we slow and stop the spread of COVID-19 in Memphis and Shelby
County.
The virus spreads easily, and this Order is also intended to prevent the disease from overwhelming our healthcare system. The goal here is to “flatten the curve” to slow down the spread of the virus and ensure we have adequate health care resources for those who get sick with COVID-19 and those who need emergency medical care for accidents, heart attacks, strokes, and other routine medical conditions.
What is the difference between “Safer at Home” and “social distancing”?
Safer at home is a stricter form of social distancing. There are some differences. Safer at Home means:
❚ Stay home (stay unexposed and do not expose others)
❚ Only go out for essential services
❚ Don’t gather groups
Social Distancing is the practice of staying at least six feet away from others when you are in public, and not going out in public if you feel sick.
Whether in public or at home, everyone should regularly wash hands, use hand sanitizer and disinfect surfaces.
When does the Order go into effect? How long is it in effect?
The Order goes into effect Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at 6 p.m. The Order is in effect until April 7, 2020. The City will closely monitor the situation every day to determine if the Executive Order needs to be extended.
What are Essential Activities?
Essential Activities are those activities or tasks that are essential to your health and safety, including:
❚ Performing work to provide products or services to an Essential Business
❚ Outdoor activities, such as walking your dog
❚ Performing administrative functions for a business, such as payroll or other tasks needed for the safety of the employees or the building, such as maintenance
What is “Essential Travel”?
Essential
❚ Any travel related to Essential Activities and Essential Businesses
❚ Travel to care for elderly, children or other persons needing care
❚ Travel to and from your home
What businesses will stay open?
All Essential Businesses will remain open, but must adhere to Social Distancing Requirements. This is a list of examples of businesses that may remain open (this is not an exhaustive list):
❚ Food and Drug
❚ Grocery and beverage stores (including stores that sale grocery and non-grocery items necessary for maintaining the safety, sanitation and essential operations of residents)
❚ Restaurants/bars travel in includes: (only for take-out/delivery)
❚ Pharmacies
❚ Convenience stores
❚ Farmer’s markets
❚ Food banks
❚ Food cultivation, including farming, livestock and fishing
❚ Health/medical
❚ Research and laboratory services
❚ Hospitals
❚ Walk-in-care health facilities
❚ Emergency veterinary and livestock services
❚ Elder care
❚ Home health care workers or aides for the elderly, children and people with disabilities
❚ Dental services
❚ Optometrist
❚ Nursing homes or residential health care facilities
❚ Blood banks
❚ Veterinarian and dog grooming
❚ Transportation Logistics
❚ Gas stations
❚ Buses
❚ Taxis
❚ Private transportation providers (Uber and Lyft)
❚ Airlines/airports
❚ Mail and shipping services
❚ Auto repair shops
❚ Auto Dealers/retail
❚ Auto Parts Retailer
❚ Warehouse/distribution and fulfillment
❚ Ride Share
❚ Bicycle retail/repair
❚ Housing and Real Estate
❚ Property management company (Residential and Commercial)
❚ Commercial and residential construction
❚ Planning, surveying, engineering, design firms
❚ Real estate agents/ services
❚ Home or building cleaning and maintenance
❚ Skilled trades such as electricians, HVAC, and plumbers
❚ Hardware stores
❚ Services
❚ Daycare and childcare services
❚ Waste disposal and recycling
❚ Laundromats, dry cleaners and laundry services
❚ Funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries
❚ Lawn care
❚ Pest control
❚ Locksmiths
❚ Legal services
❚ Alarm and security companies
❚ Businesses that provide services that are necessary to maintain the sanitation, safety, and essential operation of residences and businesses, such as maintenance on HVAC
❚ Human/charitable Services
❚ Child care services
❚ Homeless shelters
❚ Businesses that provide food, shelter, social services and other necessities for those in need
❚ Services that provide drug/alcohol/mental health counseling and support
❚ Manufacturing
❚ Medical wholesale and distribution
❚ Hardware and building material stores
❚ Medical equipment/ & instruments
❚ Food processing, manufacturing agents
❚ Chemical plants
❚ Pharmaceuticals
❚ Paper goods/cardboard
❚ Sanitary products
❚ Microelectronics/ semi-conductor
❚ Government
❚ Federal and state offices and services, including post offices and airports
❚ Essential Memphis government functions including law enforcement, transportation, and businesses that provide government programs and services
❚ Banks and other Financial institutions
❚ Insurance
❚ Cell Phone and electronic stores
❚ Office supply stores
❚ Businesses that provide goods and services exclusively deliver through curb side pickup, drive-thru, shipment or delivery. (This includes any business that did not previously provide goods and services as described but now developed and implemented these delivery methods.)
❚ Newspaper/media
❚ What businesses are required to close?
This is a list of examples of businesses that must close (this is not an exhaustive list):
❚ Non-essential Services
❚ Personal appearance businesses (hair salons, eyelash salons, barber shop, tattoo shop, body piercing shop, day spas)
❚ Retail with no exclusive delivery or curb-side pick-up
❚ Entertainment and recreation facilities (bowling alleys, trampoline parks)
❚ Indoor rock climbing ❚ Craft/art Business
❚ Gyms, including yoga, barre and spin facilities
❚ Concert venues
❚ Theaters
❚ Movie theaters
❚ Shopping malls
❚ Golf courses
❚ Sporting event venues
❚ Skating rink
❚ Dance Schools
❚ Private Clubs (except for the provision of food for take-out)
What about churches or places of worship?
Churches, synagogues, and all places of worship are not allowed to have gatherings of more than 10 people.
Places of worship may operate for the purposes of providing food, shelter and other necessities for individuals in need, such as victims of domestic violence and the homeless.
Can this Order be changed?
Yes. The Order can and will likely be updated as conditions warrant.