Tomorrow you’ll be able to shop with Santa at AutoZone Park from 9 AM to 1 PM. Come shop for your Cardinals fans and pick out game-worn jerseys, autographed memorabilia, bobbleheads, T-shirts, throwback logo gear and more. Kids can get their picture taken with socially distanced snowglobe Santa.
Also tomorrow, Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe on Beale Street will host a Christmas Pop-Up Market from 1 to 5 PM. They’ll have 20 local small businesses there, along with Christmas brunch and drinks.
River Time Market & Deli will be closed until after the holidays. With new guidance from the White House on COVID precautions (see below), Pam & Bill simply do not feel it is safe to keep such a little space open. An understandable decision. Much love & holiday cheer to them.
Elizabeth Horner, a contributor to I Love Memphis, paid a visit to Slim & Husky’s, the new hip-hop pizzeria in The Edge District, this week.
Char Magnifico and Vintage play The Vault tonight at 6.
If you’re a Daily Memphian subscriber, check out photos from the soft opening of Little Bettie pizza kitchen inside Wisacre 2. Little Bettie is open to the public beginning today.
Wiseacre’s Broad Avenue location will have its 2020 Astronaut Status release party today 1-10.
COVID task force press conference recap – Thursday, December 17
Presenters were Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter, Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph, and City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen.
Dr. H said that the reproductive rate is 1.06 (although, COVID Act Now shows it at 1.25). Today we have 6044 active known infections (although the total number of infections may be as much as 5 times higher). At the current reproduction rate, that would lead to 7138 new cases in 30 days. We must do whatever we can to get that exponential growth down.
Health Directive No. 16 was planned to mainly clarify language in the previous directive. However, because of the explosive growth in new case numbers, additional measures are being considered to slow things down. The measures would have the intention of curbing socializing during the Christmas holiday. There’s a COVID task force meeting today where health officials will present their recommendations to the mayors, with a new health directive coming as early as Monday morning.
Dr. Randolph shared a couple of recommendations from the White House COVID task force:
- If you’re over 65 or have comorbidities (heart conditions, high blood pressure, respiratory issues, diabetes), you should not enter any venue where any person is without a mask on. Have your groceries, prescriptions, and meals delivered.
- If you’re under 40, and you have been around anyone not in your immediate household who did not have a mask on, assume you were affected and get tested immediately.
Chief McGowen gave an analogy: Imagine AutoZone Park was packed to the rafters, and when the event let out, everyone went back into the community, infected with COVID-19. Would you take precautions? That’s where we are in terms of the virus. Testing is readily available every day (except Dec. 24-27) at Tiger Lane, and it’s open 3 PM-8 PM to make it convenient for those who work in the rat race and get off around 5. This weekend there will be testing at Tiger Lane and Poplar Healthcare on Hacks Cross 8:30-5:00 Saturday and Sunday. More testing locations
Hey, Chief, let me ask you one again… why is there no free testing in the 38103? I am not walking to Crump and Fourth, with a reputation for being one of the most dangerous ‘hoods in the entire U.S., at 5:30 (40 minutes after sunset) on a Wednesday or Friday to get a test.
Chief McGowen said the plan is for first responders – police, firefighters, and EMTs – to be vaccinated right after Christmas.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.