Memphis Commercial Appeal

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic. Reported illnesses range from very mild to severe, including death. Agencies anticipate widespread transmission will occur in the U.S. in coming months and recommend social distancing among other measures to slow the spread. Call your doctor and stay home if you are sick. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus or contact the Tennessee Department of Health coronavirus information line at 877-857-2945 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT daily.

This story has been updated Tuesday, March 24 at 6:40 p.m.

By the numbers: The Shelby County Health Department has confirmed 135 cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning. The first local case was reported March 8. Statewide, there were 667 cases as of Tuesday, up from 615 the day before.

Watch the White House coronavirus task force give an update Tuesday:

Watch Gov. Bill Lee give an update on the coronavirus (COVID-19) in regard to Tennessee:

On Monday, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced a "safer at home" executive order, requiring all non-essential service workers to stay home.

The order goes into effect starting Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Similarly, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced a planned stay-at-home executive order going into effect at the same time.The cities of Germantown, Collierville and Bartlett have issued similar executive orders.

Here's everything you need to know about COVID-19 and how it has affected Shelby County:

'Shelter in place' health 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.

Essential services are defined in the Health Department's directive as those for which 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 day care and child care businesses, hotels, and hair and nail salons.

The directive expires after 30 days, but can be extended by Haushalter for another 30-day period.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides power to all Tennessee municipal utilities, donated a bit more than 30,000 N95 masks to the state Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said.

The N95 masks are being sought by medical personnel across the state and country. They are an essential piece of personal protective equipment used to keep healthcare workers safe on the front lines of the fight against the virus.

For approximately 400 warehouse workers at Kroger’s Delta Distribution Center in Memphis, a 7-day work week of 12-16 hours has become mandatory.

“We know our job is one of the most important in the world right now, next to the emergency and the doctors. We gotta do what we can do for the community and this region,” Maurice Wiggins, a 30-year-old forklift operator told The Commercial Appeal after wrapping up a 97-hour week.

Addressing customer anxiety over supply; the community need they've witnessed firsthand; and their own morale and safety in keeping the flow of groceries moving to stores every day, The CA’s interviews with Kroger warehouse workers are largely presented in their own words.

Tennessee schools are to remain closed for another month, Gov. Bill Lee announced on Tuesday, just over a week after he first urged districts around the state to shut down through the end of March.

Lee's announcement was the latest in his effort to steer the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the governor has largely shied away from mandates, as other states have done, and instead urged people, businesses and other institutions to decide for themselves to stay home.

Schools are to remain closed until April 24.

"We want our kids to continue to learn through the extension of this deadline," which was originally March 31, Lee said during his daily briefing on Tuesday.

The Lakeland School System, Collierville Schools, Bartlett City Schools, Millington Municipal Schools and Arlington Community Schools quickly announced that they would extend their closures through that date.

St. Jude has tested almost 200 people for COVID-19 with its own program

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is running a COVID-19 testing program through its own lab. It reported its second positive test Monday. Both cases are patient care employees.

Controlling the new coronavirus is essential for the internationally recognized children’s hospital, which specializes in cancer and many of whose patients have weakened immune systems.

Both employees are recovering at home, Erin Seidler, director of media relations at St. Jude, said Tuesday. Contact tracing by the Shelby County Health Department is under way for both cases, Seidler said.

The hospital began planning for coronavirus in January. On March 12, St. Jude began testing for employees, patients and family members as part of its emergency operations plan. Those efforts also included restricted campus entry, and screening for the virus.

As of Monday morning, St. Jude has tested close to 200 people. About half of those tested are patients and their families, and the other half are employees, Seidler said.

The hospital runs its COVID-19 tests once per day through the hospital’s diagnostics lab and receives same-day results.

'Difficult' for Memphis to return to work in two weeks, health department says

Shelby County's case count is on track with what the health department anticipated, Alisa Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, said Tuesday.

“We are where we would have expected given that doubling every 5 to 7 days,” Haushalter said at Tuesday's daily press conference.

Haushalter stressed the importance of following the "safer at home" orders issued across the county. The orders require that only "essential" personnel report to work.

In order to make a significant impact, they need to be in place for 2-4 incubation cycles of the virus, Haushalter said, or at least 4 to 8 weeks.

"My personal opinion is that it would be difficult to return to normal within 2 weeks," Haushalter said.

It should be concerning any time essential frontline workers, like public health workers or first responders, test positive for COVID-19, Haushalter said. These people are necessary to have at work, and they also come in contact with vulnerable populations.

Employers with any employees who say they have received a test for the virus should appreciate that the wait time for receiving a test result is "anxiety provoking for many people," Haushalter said.

Workplaces should remain clean and only essential staff should be present in an office, she said.

Tennessee case count now 667

On Tuesday afternoon, the Tennessee Department of Health announced it now counts 667 cases of COVID-19 statewide, up from 615 on Monday.

Shelby County coronavirus count climbs to 135

The count of confirmed coronavirus cases in Shelby County has risen to 135, the City of Memphis posted on its website Tuesday morning. The numbers were confirmed by the Shelby County Health Department.

That’s an increase of 42 cases in a day - Monday’s count was 93.

Shelby County had confirmed its first coronavirus case on March 8. The true count of local cases of the virus is unclear. Many people infected with coronavirus show no symptoms or minor symptoms, and in recent weeks, testing was very limited.

The spike in cases comes as Memphis institutions are now aggressively ramping up testing for the virus – a big drive-thru testing center is now operational at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, Christ Community clinics are likewise offering testing, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is running its own tests.

Amid partial shutdown, local businesses get creative, change services - delivery of books, $4 sack lunches for kids

As restrictions on businesses in the Memphis area increase, many local businesses are changing how they operate. For example local bookstores in the Memphis area, Novel and Burke's Book Store, are now offering delivery. Burke's also offers curbside pickup.

With dining rooms ordered closed, restaurants are getting creative, too. One example is Lennys Grill & Subs, which is offering discounted sack lunch meals for students, so long as schools are closed, store owner James Kelly said.

The to-go lunch meal is $4, and includes a 5-inch turkey or ham sandwich with either a bag of chips or a cookie.

Lunch is available daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to all students 18 and younger.

Participating locations include:

2893 Poplar Ave. 901-320-0022.

4740 Showcase Blvd. 901-368-4215

4103 Elvis Presley Blvd. 901-507-4298

12 S. Cooper St. 901-276-5775

Cancellation of "Rocky Horror" performance illustrates broad impact of virus on our society

The annual performance of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at the Evergreen Theatre was canceled March 13 for almost the first time in 10 years. "The absence left a void in the lives of a community of participants that was a stark demonstration — in strange, surreal miniature — of the distressing impact of the coronavirus on society in general," The Commercial Appeal's John Beifuss writes.

Read more here.

MLGW restricts public access to its offices

Memphis Light, Gas and Water accepts payments online and through the mail, but many people in the Memphis area pay their bills in person at utility offices. The public utility announced Tuesday on Twitter that it's closing its community offices for public access due to COVID-19.

The utility is instructing people to use drive-thru or drop box locations instead.

Those locations are:

Downtown, 245 South Main. Drop box only.

South, 2935 Lamar Avenue. Drive-thru only.

Millington, 5131 Navy Road. Both drive-thru and drop box are available.

North, 2424 Summer Avenue. Drop box only.

Whitehaven 1111 E. Shelby Drive. Drive-thru only.

The utility says drive-thru windows accept cash, check and money payments only and encourages people to bring their bills for faster processing.

No cash payments can be put in drop boxes - only checks and money orders, the utility says.

Newsletter: Stay safe and informed with updates on the spread of the coronavirus.

OUTMemphis requests donations for food and hygiene kits

OUTMemphis, an LGBTQ resource center, has been distributing “walk-up” food and hygiene kits from their community center located at 892 S. Cooper in Midtown. Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, qualifies for food and hygiene assistance, but at-risk groups for COVID-19 like the elderly and immunocompromised will be prioritized.

The organization sent out a notice Monday evening, saying cash donations or donations of food and hygiene supplies were urgently needed to continue these services.

Donations can be dropped off at OUTMemphis community center from Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. A full list of needed items is available on the organization's website.

The coronavirus is a pandemic that continues to impact life in Tennessee in a variety of ways. The USA Today Network newsrooms in Tennessee are uniquely positioned to cover this crisis. We're providing this critical information for free. To support our mission, please consider a subscription. For more information on COVID-19, please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Memphis hospitals serve multi-county region, could see COVID-19 cases from far away

For Memphis hospitals, the coronavirus is a regional challenge.

The Memphis metro area consists of nine counties in three states: Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. About 1.4 million live in the metro area. However, the hospitals serve an even wider region.

Coronavirus testing has ramped up across the Mid-South, and in turn the number of infections reported has risen daily, reaching 131 cases on Monday in metropolitan Memphis.

Public health officials, reporting the number of people infected by COVID-19, show 93 cases in Memphis and Shelby County, 23 in DeSoto County and 15 cases elsewhere in the metro area as of Tuesday morning.

Memphis hospital executives on Sunday released a statement saying the four major hospital networks are preparing to address the coronavirus outbreak. These networks maintain 4,000 patient beds in seven main hospitals.

Memphis is the medical hub for a region long known as the Mid-South. If virus infections surge, and the number of people looking for medical help soars, the Memphis hospitals could see patient admission rates climb.

Spanning more than 30 counties in three states, the Mid-South includes the Memphis metro area and, around it, another 600,000 people living within about a 1-hour drive of Memphis.

In this wider region, 42 infections were reported by Monday. Adding in the Memphis metro area, 164 infected people in total have been identified in the Mid-South.

Memphis Police Department restricts access to its stations

Most Memphis Police Department stations have long had an open-door policy: anyone can walk in and talk to the officer at the front desk to make an inquiry or file a report. But as the coronavirus spreads in the Memphis area, the MPD is restricting access to its stations.

People who come to MPD stations will now find a sign that lists a phone number and instructs them to call the desk officer, according to a post on MPD's Facebook page late Monday.

"Due to the notable spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and our concern for the safety of our citizens and officers, access to the Memphis Police Department's police stations will be restricted for emergencies only," the Facebook post reads.

"Officers will still be on-site to assist; however, immediate access will not be granted unless there is an emergency.

"Pending the situation, the desk officer will assist via phone or will come outside, practicing social distancing, to provide assistance."

Memphis restaurants offering in-house delivery to employ servers

Restaurants across Memphis are scrambling to find creative ways to keep their staff members employed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many restaurateurs are turning servers into delivery drivers. Instead of bringing meals to the table, they are delivering them to your front door.

Before you place a delivery order, check with the restaurant to see what your delivery options are. If in-house delivery is offered, restaurateurs would prefer you use that service. The best way to find out a restaurant's delivery options is to call the restaurant.

Read More:Memphis restaurants offering in-house delivery to employ servers during coronavirus crisis

Old Dominick Distillery to produce up to 10,000 units of hand sanitizer

Old Dominick Distillery has partnered with Shelby County to produce up to 10,000 units of hand sanitizer for lower income families, elderly and the homeless community in the county.

Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer sponsored the resolution, which has since passed through the Shelby County Commission, that allows up to $50,000 of emergency funding to cover the costs of production.

"In this unprecedented time of crisis, the Old Dominick team wants to help our community anyway we can," said Alex Castle, master distiller and senior vice president of the distillery, in a press release. "We've only recently received permission from the federal government to produce hand sanitizer, which we are actively pursuing at this time."

It is unclear how long it will take the distillery to produce the sanitizer. The Shelby County Commission plans to partner with Shelby County Schools to utilize their meal distribution sites as well as other partner organizations.

MATA reinforces City of Memphis executive order

Following Strickland's "safer at home" executive order, Memphis Area Transit Authority will continue to operate its normal service but will enforce guidelines to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

Here are the updated guidlines for MATA Fleet:

No more than 10 people will be allowed to board fixed route buses and Trolley cars (effective Tuesday at 6 p.m.)

Every other row on fixed route buses and Trolley cars will be blocked to maintain social distance and encourage customers to sit apart.

No more than two passengers will be allowed to ride on any MATAplus paratransit vehicle (includes personal care attendant and/or escort).

Effective Tuesday, MATA will only transport MATAplus paratransit customers to work, medical-related destinations and to purchase or collect food from grocery stores, restaurants or food distribution centers at non-profit organizations.

Monday updates

Click here to read all the Monday updates

Shelby County Jail employee tests positive for coronavirus

Several Germantown Fire Department employees in isolation

Clerk's office closes after employee gets coronavirus

Tennessee cases climb to 615

Harris plans to join Memphis in shelter-in-place orderMemphis Mayor Jim Strickland issues 'safer at home' executive order

COVID-19 reported case county reaches 84 in Shelby County

Memphis football coaching staff pledges 360 meals to Mid-South Food Bank

American Job Centers close locations, but still accept phone appointments

DeSoto County COVID-19 cases rise to 23

MATA adds temporary travel limitations for MATAplus customers

Weekend updates

Click here to read all updates from this weekend

Employee test positive via kit administered at St. Jude

Arlington schools suspends meal program

Tens of thousands of Memphians in 'high-risk' categories

Shelby County Schools plan to feed students comes together

Takeout beer sales approved for Memphis restaurants

Coronavirus taskforce created

Memphis bowling alleys, movie theaters, and other spaces ordered closed

Navy staff member on Milliington base 'doing well with very mild symptoms'

MATA announces social distancing measures

Gov. Bill Lee orders restaurants, bars closed except for takeout and delivery

Trump thanks FedEx, Fred Smith

YMCA to run point on SCS meal plan

Strickland encourages social distancing at workplaces, blood donations

U of M instructor dies in Wisconsin

Friday updates

Click here to read all updates from Friday

MLGW restricting in-person access for bill payment

Memphis restaurant group "Re-Opening Party" helps staff now

Indie Memphis Launches At-Home Movie Club

Germantown declares state of emergency

The Memphis area’s three independently owned movie theaters closed Friday

All public tennis centers closed

Loflin Yard to host outdoor market

Blood drive cancellations trigger "critical" shortage, Red Cross says

Memphis police employee among those who tested positive

Mississippi schools postpone commencement ceremonies

Thursday updates

Click here to read are all the updates from Thursday

FedEx employees tests positive

Strickland closes restaurants

Memphis City Council to hold virtual meeting

Shelby County DA warns about fake sign

Shelby Farms closes facilities, remains open

Lowe's Memphis employee positive for virus

LeMoyne-Owen moves to remote learning, postpones commencement

Mid-South Fairgrounds to be used for drive-thru coronavirus testing

Blues Foundation cancels awards show, Hall of Fame ceremony

For more than 100,000 uninsured in Shelby County, Medicaid expansion may cover 'some'

Pink Palace to close

The Fresh Market to adjust hours

Wednesday updates

Click here to read all the updates from Wednesday

USL extends season suspension

City employees to self-isolate after some domestic, all international travel

Memphis Zoo to close

Mid-South YMCA locations closing

Wolfchase Galleria to temporarily close

Nike donating to Memphis charities

Germantown city buildings close to the public

Members of the Memphis City Council warned about possible exposure to coronavirus

Health Department reports fourth coronavirus case in Shelby County

Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare to suspend elective surgeries, adjusts visitor policies

Hernando city employee tests positive

Memphis Greek Festival Postponed

Target to close early, offer senior hours

Last Tuesday's updates

Click here to read all the updates from Tuesday