‘Shelter in place’ directive issued for Shelby County
Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, issued a formal health directive Tuesday ordering anyone not designated as working in essential services to shelter in place. The directive covers all of Shelby County.
The City of Memphis, unincorporated Shelby County as well as the majority of Shelby County’s municipalities have also issued “safer at home” orders, most of which went into effect Tuesday at 6 p.m., around the same time that Haushalter’s directive was released to the public.
Essential services are defined in the Health Department’s directive as ones whose interruption “would endanger the life, health, or personal safety of the whole or part of the population.” The list of such services includes federal, state, county and municipal services, social services, food and beverage sales, health care services, banks, laundromats, businesses that rely on deliveries, media, funeral services and more.
Another list of businesses is also allowed to operate under the directive within CDC guidelines, but must limit the number of patrons in the establishment to 10 or less. Those include daycare and childcare businesses, hotels and hair and nail salons.
Businesses that don’t meet either criteria are required to close their physical locations to the public.
“Only those individuals serving as essential personnel should be traveling to work,” the directive reads. “Essential personnel should be screened and not allowed to be in the workplace if they have a fever or other signs and symptoms of COVID-19.”
The directive also urges essential services, particularly grocery stores and pharmacies, to establish hours for senior citizens and other populations vulnerable to COVID-19 to shop.
The directive expires after 30 days, but can be extended by Haushalter for another 30 day period.
Katherine Burgess covers county government, religion and the suburbs. She can be reached at katherine. burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901529-2799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.