Today (3.19.20) the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) reported 10 confirmed cases f COVID-19 in Shelby County, according to Joan Carr, public information officer for SCHD.
Results on the six new cases were reported to the Health Department last night. This increase is not unexpected because commercial laboratories have begun reporting results on tests conducted over the last several days.
While there is still no direct evidence of community transmission of the virus, the rapid increase in cases is suggestive that community transmission may be occurring.
Shelby County Health Department COVID-19 Daily Update: March 19, 2020
| COVID-19 Cases | |
| Shelby County | 10 |
| Tennessee | 98 |
| Shelby County Residents Approved for Testing by State Lab | 36 |
| Persons Under Public Health Monitoring in Shelby County | |
| 81 | |
| Above numbers updated as of 10 a.m. 3/19/20 | |
Now is the time for strict adherence to the Health Department’s social-distancing recommendations:
Messages for Individuals:
- Avoid handshakes and close contact with others whenever possible.
- Cancel or postpone gatherings of 10 or more people. Instead of visiting friends or relatives, call or video chat.
- Stay at home whenever possible. While Shelby County School students and many others are out of school, keep children home and plan home-based activities.
- Do not go to work or go out in public if you are sick, especially with fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms.
- Re-evaluate travel plans. It is strongly recommended to avoid any unnecessary travel. If traveling overseas, check the CDC’s travel advisory website, which is updated daily: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel. If traveling within the U.S., avoid destinations where COVID-19 has been reported.
- Avoid non-essential flights. Traveling by private vehicle limits exposure to other people.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Scrub dirt under fingernails with a brush and soap.
- Practice respiratory etiquette by using a tissue if coughing or sneezing, then throwing the tissue away and washing your hands.
- Sanitize surfaces that are frequently touched by many people with anti-bacterial wipes or diluted bleach solution.
Messages for Community/Business Leaders:
- Cancel or postpone meetings and conferences of 10 or more people.
- Consider conducting all conferences and meetings by phone or video chat rather than face-to-face.
- Move desks and office furniture to put at least six feet of distance between employees.
- Businesses that serve the public, including restaurants and retail stores should encourage social distancing by putting space between tables and spacing out check-out lines as much as possible.
- Consider providing delivery or curbside pick-up options to limit interactions in stores and restaurants.
- Encourage and enable employee telecommuting to limit person-to-person interactions as much as possible.
The Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage: shelbytnhealth.com/coronavirus. The page includes useful information about the virus and links to resources for individuals, families, businesses and faith communities.
Link to the state website: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html
