Today is going to be a crazy day.
No, let me rephrase that. Today already IS a crazy day… as of five minutes into the day, when six or seven loud gunshots were fired near Main and Monroe. Who else heard ’em?
Keep an eye on the Shelby County Health Department’s health directive page, as Health Directive No. 16 and Face Mask Order No. 4 are expected to drop this morning. A draft of the directive that was posted to social media indicated it would go into effect 12:01 AM today, four minutes before I heard the gunshots. I seriously doubt they will retroactively declare the directive into effect, meaning it probably won’t kick in earlier than tomorrow.
Governor Lee signed an executive order last night limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people for the next 30 days. Homes and churches are excluded.
Fans will not be allowed to attend basketball games at FedExForum for the time being, the arena announced yesterday.
The Save Our Restaurants: Memphis Protest happens today at 1 PM at the Shelby County government building, 160 N. Main, 1 PM. This one could get heated. There are very legit arguments on both sides. Restaurant owners are rightfully tired of being picked on, and at the same time if hospitals hit 100% capacity people will die needlessly.
I agree a Safer at Home is probably necessary, but I’d be more inclined to support it if the politicians pushing it the hardest walked the walk, in addition to talking the talk. What do I mean by that? Donate every penny of salary earned at any job to charity for the period the Safer at Home order is in effect. Show that you stand with our restaurant brethren by giving up your income.
The teams for December 31’s Liberty Bowl have been announced: Tennessee vs. good ole West Virginny. I think this is the perfect year to get a Vols appearance at the bowl out of the way, the year when their fans can’t travel to Memphis (or if they do, they won’t have much to do once they get here). As for West Virginny, it’s a shame we won’t see their fans here. I had a blast hanging out with them at Bardog before the 2014 game.
A federal advisory panel recommended who should be eligible to receive the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines when they are released later this month: Those at least 75 years old, firefighters, police, teachers, mail carriers, and grocery store workers. Health care workers and nursing home residents were allotted the first batch.
Please support local restaurants as much as you can in the next two weeks by ordering takeout (or dining in if that’s still allowed). I have some Bardog spaghetti & meatballs in the fridge right now. I noticed there was no South Main Pajama Pub Crawl that normally makes Bardog its first stop yesterday. Such a shame!
That’ll do it for this post. I will be back later today with health directive news, if there is any.