Paul Ryburn's Journal

Dr. Haushalter, head of the Health Department, said that Health Directive No. 11, entered yesterday, clarified what is meant by limited-service restaurants, which are still to remain closed. These include beer pubs and wine bars as well as businesses that have state liquor licenses. If a restaurant’s sales are 50% or more alcohol, they shouldn’t be open right now.

However, Dr. H did say that the state licensure commission is aware of the fact that some limited-service restaurants have seen their alcohol sales drop below 50% during the pandemic, as food sales rose. Those restaurants will be allowed to show one month’s receipts, rather than a full year’s, to be able to reclassify as full-service restaurants quickly. This measure should bear fruit soon and Dr. H said the health department is supportive of limited-service restaurants finding new ways to operate in order to stay open.

County mayor Lee Harris said there would be an online walk-through for close-contact businesses (hair salons, nail salons, etc.) to apply for Our Beautiful Comeback, the county’s program to offer grants of $2000 to eligible businesses, Monday, August 31 at 3 PM. Go to covid19.shelbycountytn.gov to sign up. Businesses that have already applied for the grant will be notified about the walkthrough.

Mayor Harris said that in school-related cases of COVID-19, students, families, and staff will receive information quickly, “within hours” being the goal. This will apply even if there is only one case. After that, the at-risk community will receive regular follow-up notices. This applies to private schools as well as public.

Dr. Haushalter said Sunday to Monday, there was an increase of 289 new cases, a larger number than they have seen in a while, and they are keeping a close eye on that statistic.

The replication rate is at 0.89, up slightly from last week but still within the goal of keeping that number below 1.

The duplication period, the time it takes the number of coronavirus cases to double, is now at 45 days.

The week-to-week positivity rate continues to drop and was most recently measured at around 11.5%.

Testing: Walgreens will open a new testing center at their Shelby Drive/Ross Rd. store. It won’t be rapid results but it will be drive-through. Also Safety Net is converting the old Appling auto inspection station into a testing center. The expansion of testing should lead to the availability of 10,000 tests per week in Shelby County in the near future.

Hospital capacity is still doing well, with green status in facilities.

Contact tracing can be done quickly thanks to the turnaround time of testing being cut to 1-3 days. Over 10,000 people currently quarantined within the county.

12 feet of spacing between groups of spectators at sporting events was found to be best by the task force. This is a happy medium between the recommendation of 6 feet, for where there is only casual contact, and 18 feet where there is live music.

Children age 2 and under should not wear masks because they pose risks. Ages 3 and above should. Previously 12 and above was mentioned as a guideline, but that was more for enforcement purposes.

Kendall Downing of WMC asked, if a kid at school tests positive, and desks were set up for social distancing, is it possible no other people would be considered contacts? Dr. H said the health department would work with the school to make that determination. Less than 6 feet of distance for 10 minutes would be the most important standard, but they would also consider other factors. These include where the individual moved throughout the day, whether they had a mask on, and whether they coughed. Considering all factors, it is possible they would find there to be no close contacts.

Tom Bailey of the Daily Memphian asked about loosening of restrictions for city golf courses, allowing 2 riders to share a cart in which they could not properly socially distance. Dr. H said it’s like when a group comes into a restaurant, they don’t ask if they are all from the same household; groups are entrusted to do what’s right on their own to reduce transmission.

Greg Akers from the MBJ asked about 11 deaths reclassified as COVID related over the weekend. Dr. H said the health department’s reports are always preliminary. The state medical examiner reviews all cases and makes adjustments. It is a layered process to ensure that Tennessee numbers are as accurate as they can be.

In closing, Dr. H asked everyone to stay the course. She said it’s really important to get through a few weeks of school and sports to see what adjustments need to be made.

I banged this post out super quick so apologies if there are typos. Back in the morning with more news and probably a first look at a restaurant.

I’m not a big Microsoft guy by any means, but last week I discovered their Rewards program. It doesn’t cost anything to sign up, and you earn about 300 to 400 rewards points a day for taking silly quizzes and polls, using Bing to conduct searches, and hitting milestones. When you accumulate 6500 points, you can redeem them for a $5 Walmart or Target gift card. From what I’ve seen so far, it takes about 18 days to hit 6500 points. That means you can get about $100 in Walmart or Target bucks a year for piddling around on the computer for five or ten minutes a day. It’s free money; why not?

I’ll give you a PRO TIP I discovered: To earn some of the points, you have to do Bing searches from a mobile device. BUT… if you’re using Chrome as your web browser, you can put it in developer mode (F12 or fn key+F12), click the icon that looks like a phone/tablet, and select a phone type to emulate. The headers sent to Bing fool it into thinking you’re doing mobile searches.

Oh, by the way, if you have an Xbox, you can redeem the rewards points for game passes, gift cards, or Live gold memberships. Check Microsoft Rewards out; it’s the 2020 version of finding change in your couch cushions.

I found this Memphis Flyer article from February about Ben Yay’s, the Cajun restaurant that was scheduled to open in mid-March but is opening today thanks to COVID. In addition to a New Orleans menu they’ll have a coffee bar and a “scoop & serve” soup and sandwich lunch special.

Although COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the World Championship Wing Fest (former Southern Hot Wing Fest) this year, they still plan to do a People’s Choice competition on Facebook this Saturday. Follow the contest on Facebook to vote.

The Commercial Appeal has an update about what’s happening at Puck Food Hall at 409 S. Main. COVID-19 caused four vendors to close: Venga, City Block Salumeria, DoughJo, and Wok’n in Memphis. The loss of so many options put the future of the food hall in jeopardy. Daniel Masters, owner of the bar at the food hall, called Bar 409, as well as vendor station Pasta di Strada and Downtown restaurant Pontotoc Lounge and cocktail venue Silly Goose, stepped in to increase the food hall’s offerings. Pizza, calzones, burgers, sandwiches, salads, tacos, and ramen are now among the choices.

To keep the place COVID-19 safe, you now order from kiosks located inside Puck and your are texted when your food is ready. The only place you have to order in person is at the bar, because of the need to check your ID. Three of the independent vendors remain: Lulu’s (baked goods), Sweet Magnolia Gelato, and Dr. Bean’s Coffee & Tea Emporium.

StyleBlueprint profiles Brit McDaniel, owner of Paper & Clay, coming to the space on South Main that was formerly the Harley-Davidson shop. The art and ceramics store should thrive in that neighborhood, especially once South Main Trolley Nights begin once again.

Shelby County Health Directive No. 11 has been issued and limited-service restaurants remain closed.

Top-drawer, Grade-A suggestion I read yesterday: Throughout the day, say to yourself words or phrases for which you are grateful. For example, I might say to myself, “Downtown,” or “work,” or “health,” or given the time of year, “air conditioning.” You might include the name of your spouse, or your child, or your pet. The reason to adopt this practice is that gratitude moves you into a mindset of abundance, causing you to attract more abundance into your life.

Super creepy: It’s now possible to use light bulbs for eavesdropping. At this year’s virtual hacker security conference, the inventor of the technology presented his work. Sound waves from The Beatles’ “Let it Be” were reflected off a light bulb, and the system was able to re-create the audio well enough that recognition app Shazam identified the song.

Got a productivity hack before I bid you adieu this fine Tuesday morning. I’ve been working on some projects lately that I use Evernote to organize. I tend to put dates in the title – however, some projects are day-specific, and others are more of month-long projects. This presents a problem if I want to find all projects for August 2020. Because “August” and “2020” do not appear next to each other in “August 25, 2020,” it makes it hard to search for both daily and monthly notes.

My solution was to use an international date format: “2020 August” or “20/08” for monthly, and “2020 August 25” or “20/08/25” for daily. Now the year and month appear next to each other, and my searches will pick up that portion of the date for both monthly and daily notes.

Apologies for the content being somewhat scarce the past few days on this blog, but there was a good reason. For the past year I’ve been saying I’d like to start a side hustle as a freelance writer, but only in the past week have I found a clear path in that direction. Yesterday I earned a certification in content marketing, after working on a course over the weekend. I’m not normally big into selfies but today I snapped a new profile pic to give myself a more professional impression on Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Only took 16 tries to get a photo I could live with. On my to-do list: Research LinkedIn profiles for those changing careers. I’m trying to figure out how to have a profile that says, I have a graduate degree and plenty of experience in one field, but I want work (especially, freelance gigs) in a totally different field.

After work I’ll hit Ben-Yay’s for lunch. I might visit another full-service restaurant later this week. They’ll never see me coming, though. I might do a COVID-19 press conference recap this afternoon, or I may just make it part of tomorrow’s post. Check back for more news.

(Note: The numbers I reported here were as of a few minutes before 8:00 AM August 24, prior to Shelby County releasing its Monday data mid-morning.)

One of the tripwires listed in Health Directive No. 10 that would allow limited-service restaurants to reopen in Shelby County was tripped as of yesterday. A limited-service restaurant is one that serves food, but for which 50% or more of its total sales come from alcohol. This classification takes the place of what would be known as “bars” in most other states. The LSRs were closed by the Health Department on July 9 as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As of yesterday, the 7-day rolling rate of new cases per day (as seen on the data dashboard, third chart from the top) shows the average at 179 for the most recent period, August 17-23. Let’s have a look at this and other requirements to, as stated in the health directive, “open limited service restaurants and other food/drink establishments that are currently closed.”

New cases over a 1-week period averaging less than 180 cases/day based upon date of testing. The mark set yesterday of 179 meets this qualification, the first day since June 16 the rolling 7-day number has fallen below this threshold.

Downward trend line for 2 consecutive weeks (14 days). The line began trending downward July 16, more than a month ago.

Rate of new cases decreasing by ≥ 30 % per week over 2 consecutive weeks (14 days). To express this in round numbers, if you started off with 1000 cases a week, you’d need to see a decrease to 700 by the end of the first week and 490 by the end of the second to hit this trigger. Two weeks before 8/17-8/23’s rolling new case number would be August 3. The case number that date was 248. That’s a 27.8% (248 – 179 = 69) decrease in new cases over 2 weeks, which is certainly good news, but not close to 30% a week over two weeks. This trip wire has not been triggered yet.

Reproductive Rate ≤ 1.0. The Shelby County Health Department does not report this number on their data page, but the last time they announced this number in a press conference it was around 0.82. This is very good, indicating that the virus is having trouble transmitting to new hosts.

Positivity Rate ≤ 10%. The most recent 7-day rolling positivity rate is 11.4% (as seen on the data dashboard, fifth chart from the top). Shelby County is heading in the right direction, but this is another trip wire that hasn’t been tripped.

Three of the five criteria have now been met. Now, the question is, how are these conditions joined together? Is it an AND situation, where all of them have to be met? Is it an OR situation, where one of the five would merit reopening consideration? Is it a “most of” situation, where the Health Department would be willing to overlook the 30% week over week criterion if everything else were trending in the right direction? The document didn’t say. Whether it was the authors’ intention to remain artfully vague on that point, or whether it was an oversight, we don’t know.

No other news to report at this time… I was working on a side project yesterday, so I didn’t keep my eye on the usual sources. I will tell you more about the side project when done. I did watch WWE Summerslam last night, and it exceeded my expectations. I won’t spoil the finish, but it was totally unexpected and is something that has needed to happen for a long time. Back tomorrow with more news, or possibly later today if anything interesting comes up.

I heard on the police scanner that someone stole three cars from the Carvana kiosk on Appling Farms Parkway overnight. The kiosk is a big vending machine where you put a token in, and a car comes out. That’s got to be an inside job, right? If someone not associated with the company has figured out how to hack a Carvana kiosk, they could franchise the business of stealing cars.

Buy your Virtual @MemphisBeerFest ticket before Sunday night at 9:01 and get $5 off when you use the promo code TAPZOOM901. #VirtualMemphisBeerFest pic.twitter.com/5Ce0tc8aAh

— Cerrito Entertainment (@cerritotrivia) August 22, 2020

Springfield, MA police are searching for the COVID hug man. He would walk up to total strangers in a Walmart and hug them, then tell them he just gave them COVID-19.

There were nine minutes of stoppage time at the end of Memphis 901 FC’s road match with Birmingham yesterday. A Memphis penalty allowed Birmingham score a goal to achieve a draw during that time. Memphis next travels to North Carolina FC for a 6 PM Central Time match on Saturday.

That’s it for this post. Thanks to COVID-19 there’s not much interesting going on right now. I hear good things may be coming by week’s end, though. Back tomorrow with more news.

The COVID-19 pandemic may not be good for much, but with many people choosing to stay home, it is a great time for restaurant owners to renovate. Daniel Masters did just that with Pontotoc Lounge. After being closed for the past few months, the South Main jazz lounge once again threw open its door and welcomed customers this week. Yesterday I made the trek down Main to check out the changes.

I certainly liked Pontotoc the way it was before, but I will admit I had one gripe: It was a restaurant with a rather small bar area, considering it is in a walking neighborhood where drinking is the unofficial local pastime. They managed to crowd about 12 bar stools around the old bar, but man, let me tell you – if I needed to shift in my seat to scratch my leg or talk to someone standing behind me, I found myself practically sitting in my neighbor’s lap.

Problem corrected!

The bar has been expanded to twice its previous size and now dominates the room. The best comparison I can make is to the main room at Bardog, where the bar area is clearly the “main event,” but for those who prefer non-bar seating, there is some by the front door and some in the back of the room facing the bar.

Of course, we can’t enjoy the bar yet. Health Directive No. 10 dictates that bar seating is not allowed, so you have to sit at a table and place your order with the server, who rings it up for the bartender to make. Although you have to wait a minute longer, though, it’s worth it, because look who’s behind the bar… award-winning mixologist Cady! She can mix you one of their signature drinks. Let’s have a look at those (click or tap the image to view in a larger size):

For those with less complicated tastes in alcoholic refreshment, I will mention that Cady also does a fine job popping open a 16-ounce can of PBR.

Now, then, let’s have a look at the dinner menu (again, click or tap the image to see it in a larger size).

The items at the top of the appetizer section – the PBR boiled peanuts, the pork rinds with daily seasoning, and the loaded fries – have taken on added importance in this day and age. Why? Let’s review the Health Department’s stance:

You see, if you come to a restaurant just to drink, then you can catch COVID-19 and have to be put on a ventilator and will eventually die. However, by only serving alcohol when food is also ordered, restaurants keep their guests SAFE FROM COVID! Now, there are those who will want to make a South Main Restaurant Crawl, hitting up two or more of Pontotoc, Green Beetle, Slider Inn Downtown, South of Beale, The Vault, and Loflin Yard, all of which are full-service restaurants that COVID avoids (provided food is served and it’s before 10 PM). Ordering food at multiple stops can get heavy, both on the stomach and the pocketbook, so offerings that are light on both can extend days out for us Downtowners.

I, however, came there for a meal, not a crawl. I skipped lunch and let me tell you, by the time I got down there I was mighty hungry. Although I went down to Pontotoc with every intention of trying new things, it had been too long since I ordered the Mississippi Pot Roast and I caved. About halfway through, I realized I forgot to take a photo. No problem, I’ve had it before, here’s a photo from the archives.

(Someone was REALLY UNHAPPY that I forgot to get her out and take a photo last night.)

The pepperoncini peppers are the key ingredient in the pot roast’s juice. They add a zing to the dish, a zing which gets a reinforcement when sopped up by the jalapeno cornbread.

Check out the floor, which reminds me of the Altair Design adult coloring books from years ago:

In case you’re worried that the expanded bar might cause Pontotoc to reclassify from a full-service restaurant to a limited-service restaurant, there’s no cause for concern. They’ve renovated the second floor to provide additional space.

A delicious and enjoyable experience on a rare night out. Thanks to Morgan for the outstanding service.

Got a couple of other pieces of food news this morning… As I walked down the Main Street Mall, I heard “Hey, Paul!” It was Connor, one the people who is opening up Ben-Yay’s (I can’t remember if the apostrophe-s is part of the name or not, apologies if I got that wrong), the New Orleans-style restaurant opening at 51 S. Main in the former DejaVu spot. He invited me in to look around, but they were having a staff meeting and I didn’t want to intrude taking a bunch of photos. Looked real nice though! “We open Tuesday at 11,” Connor told me, “Why don’t you come by for lunch?”

“Will do,” I told him. “I get off work at 1. Let me run home and change, and then I’ll be over.” Yay! Or should I say, Ben-Yay! That’ll be at least one day this week my lunch won’t come from a can in my pantry or a box in my freezer, which during this pandemic is about as much as I have to get excited about.

On to not-such-good news: The Swanky’s Taco Shop in the Chisca has closed temporarily due to the pandemic. They will open again once things get better.

Stumble down the street to and from Max’s Sports Bar every night: There’s a condo for sale at 137 East G.E. Patterson

In non-Memphis closing news, the Cheers bar in Boston is closing later this month, also due to COVID-19.

The Orpheum will show the film Cast Away starring Tom Hanks and Wilson Friday night at 8. Rating is PG-13. There will be socially distanced areas of two, four, and six seats; sit in an area according the the number in your party. More info about Orpheum COVID-19 policies

Someone named Eric has a fruit bar on the Mississippi River today. Looks like it’s on the greenbelt park on Mud Island. Fruit cups, fruit salads, and handmade fruit dips and fruit seasonings.

After you get done with your fruit, stick around for some sunset chakra balancing kundalini and yin at the greenbelt park at 7.

Board to Beers has its grand opening today. This is Memphis’ first board game library with over 400 (476 at last count) games you can play, and as the name implies, you can drink a beer while playing. However, they haven’t been allowed to get in front of the beer board yet, so today you need to bring your own beer.  They’ll be open 2-11 today for the grand opening, and moving forward their hours will be 2-11 Thursday, noon to midnight Friday, 11 AM to midnight Saturday, and 11-9 Sunday. There’s a $5 library fee. Masks must be worn, and there will be a temperature check at the door. The address is at 2867 Poplar, which would put it at Poplar and Humes, just east of where Poplar and Union Extended merge.

Shufflegrit plays the Central Station patio today. Join them (limited seating) or listen online.

That’s it for this post. Delaying my Saturday Bardog trip until early afternoon so I can be there the same time friends are there. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Grizzlies drew 14th in the NBA draft lottery last night, as they had a 97.6% chance of doing. With the pick out of the top 6, Memphis conveyed it to the Boston Celtics, fulfilling the leftover obligation from the Jeff Green trade what seems like many years ago.

The Golden State Warriors got the number-two pick. Analysts said they would look to shop the pick in a trade for players in the same general age bracket as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, so they can get into win-now mode. Let me run a little somethin’ by ya here…

Steph is a point guard. Klay is a shooting guard. Their other superstar, Draymond Green, can play a variety of positions but is mainly a power forward. Center, therefore, is one of their needs. They need a competent veteran who can step in, do work, and contribute 12/10 and some solid D on any given night, who doesn’t feel the need to be one of the top scoring options and who’s around 30.

So, imagine this… Golden State gets Jonas Valanciunas. Memphis gets number-two 2020 draft pick James “Big Ticket” Wiseman, along with assets to balance the salaries. Both teams get an age-appropriate center. Plus, even with the talent of Ja, Jaren, Brandon, and Big Ticket, an inexperienced team like the Grizzlies could easily fall into the 2021 lottery and acquire another key piece in a deep draft class.

Probably won’t happen. Fun to think about though.

Dog owners Downtown rejoice.. the Mud Island dog park is reopening. However, please avoid bringing shared items such as toys. Bring prepared to bring your own waste bags (you could always order the Poo Trap) and possibly take them with you if receptacles are not available. Of course, you should expect to wear masks and practice social distancing at all times. Good ol’ local government, making dog parks as inconvenient for dogs at it has made restaurants for humans.

Pontotoc Lounge has re-opened. Its hours are 4-10 PM. Pontotoc is licensed as a restaurant, so yes, it can be open, although you can’t sit at the bar, stay more than two hours, blah blah blah. Daniel and the Junior Power Rangers have been working on the place for months and I hear they have done a fantastic job.

Memphis 901 FC has an away game tomorrow at 6:30 at Birmingham Legion FC. Watch on CW30.

The Daily Memphian has coverage of the all-night demonstration in Navy Park last night to save the post office.

The DM reports that Ryan Trimm’s restaurant group has exercised an option in their contract with Hotel Indigo to close 3rd & Court Diner. COVID-19 simply created a situation in which the diner couldn’t depend on area businesses to send foot traffic their way.

DJ Siphne Aaye performs a set online today from noon to 1, broadcast from Health Sciences Park.

We could have a tropical storm, Laura, taking aim at the area around Thursday of next week.

Out of time before work. Apologies if typos. I didn’t catch Joe Biden’s nomination acceptance speech last night, but let’s face it, if he gave the speech entirely in Klingon while standing on his head and wearing a pink tutu, I’d still consider him more sane than our current president.

I haven’t treated myself to a nice dinner in quite a while, so I think I’ll hit Pontotoc Lounge this afternoon to see what they’ve done with the place. They open at 4 and I’ll probably go not long after, although if anyone wants to meet up I could be convinced to push that time back. Back tomorrow with more news.

This was a short press conference and a lot of what was said was repeated from Tuesday’s.

Reporters did, however, ask about limited-service restaurants. Limited-service restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen in Nashville on Monday with a capacity of 25 people, and Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph was asked if something similar was being considered for Shelby County. He replied that due to litigation issues, he could not comment. He said that as the Health Department looks at the data, they will let it drive decisions relating to some return to normalcy.

In a followup question, Dr. Randolph stressed that they look at data over two-week periods because 14 days is the incubation period of the virus. The data is currently looking good, he agrees, but he doesn’t want us to get so excited that we act too soon and end up right back where we started. We want to make sure, Dr. Randolph said, the downward trend is steady and that we get where we are going. Changes will be dictated by the data, but it is not time yet to say what those changes will be or when they will be implemented.

Health Department Director Dr. Haushalter stressed that we are in marathon mode – the coronavirus is here and we must learn to live with it. The immediate goal is to make sure children can get back to school and people can get back to work. Once those goals are met we will look at loosening further restrictions. We want to get below 10% positivity, but once there we want to getting to 5% to drive down community transmission.

Regarding spectators for sporting events, the health department’s current regulation is 50% of capacity, with 12 feet of distance (18 feet inside) and masking. Dr. Randolph said that these regulations can change as new data comes in, and to look for an updated Health Directive No. 11 next week. (Added by Paul: Or 4:59 PM Friday of this week?)

A reporter noted that flu shots are available. Haushalter encouraged everyone to get vaccinated for flu as soon as possible. It is not yet known how flu and COVID will interact, but if you catch both, you will be more likely to get sick.

Haushalter noted that 55% of COVID-19 cases in the county are among those aged 18 to 45. That group does not experience a high number of complications or deaths, but they are capable of transmission to high-risk groups.

There was some misunderstanding of who is responsible for investigation of cases in schools. Haushalter stressed that tracing and notification is the sole purview of the health department; only the health officer or his designees can issue an isolation or quarantine order. Of course, the department does work with the schools to define who was in proximity of an infected person.

That led to a followup question about who in a school would be considered exposed. Dr. Randolph said the current standard is that they were within 6 feet of someone infected for 10 minutes or longer.

With regards to releasing information about COVID-19 in schools, Haushalter said there is a need to balance privacy of children with a need to get out information of interest to the public at large. Haushalter said in the case of a public threat, a public announcement would be made.

Those were the major points made. Back tomorrow with more news.

From Church Health:

Church Health

offers FREE Coronavirus testing at our

Crosstown Concourse

location every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. You do not have to be a patient to be tested. We are however, prioritizing testing for individuals presenting symptoms or who have known exposure.

To schedule an appointment, call 901-272-0003. Bilingual staff are available.

#COVID19Testing #covid19 #CareforOneAnother

The latest from the sometimes-working Shelby County COVID-19 data dashboard as of a little after 7 this morning:

• New Cases by Collection Date, 7 day moving average: 192, only 12 above the trip wire for limited-service restaurants to open
• Rolling 7-day Positivity Rate: 11.8%, only 1.8% above the trip wire for limited-service restaurants to open

Now, as was explained in COVID-19 task force press conferences the first week of July, the purpose of the trip wires is to have thresholds in place that can trigger IMMEDIATE action. In other words, the resulting steps are ALREADY codified in ordinance, and therefore an additional 1-2 weeks does not have to be wasted waiting on a county official to act on the data.

So… if we hit that 180/10%, does that mean the Silly Goose can put stools back at the bar immediately? Does that mean the Blind Bear can immediately throw open its doors and invite people in for its new everyday breakfast starting at 7 PM? Does that mean Max can immediately turn baseball on and invite people in to watch?

My guess is, that’s not what it means, and that the task force had no idea the “good” trip wires would be tripped before there was a vaccine – they just put them in for appearance’s sake. I suspect in that case, the Health Department will let the limited service restaurants open, but “for the comfort of students and educators returning to school” (announced by Mayor Lee Harris) there will be severe restrictions imposed.

Wonder if this will be discussed in the noon task force press conference, or if they’ll dodge the trip wires as they have in every press conference since the trip wires were documented. I will try to watch the press conference and hope to be back this afternoon with a recap.

On to the news…

The Memphis Flyer talked to Kathleen Barth and MK Dunston, proprietors of The She Shed Food Truck that will hit the streets this fall. Despite the name, they said, the food won’t be dainty. The two met when MK saw Barth’s food posts on social media, and realized they had the exact same cooking style. Looking forward to trying one of their “man sandwiches” once the wheels hit the pavement.

Downtown business owners: The Downtown Memphis Commission is handing out marketing micro-grants and applications were taken starting yesterday. The grants include money to help finance an online e-commerce platform, as well as money for targeted social media spending to make your customers aware that you sell online. An online business presence will help keep revenue rolling in if COVID gets worse this fall and we have to lock down once again. More info

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to link you to this Memphis magazine article discussing how COVID-19 has not slowed development in that neighborhood. The Edge Motor Museum, The Rise apartments, and the new plans for The Cycle Shop building are discussed. Plans for the One Beale project are also covered, as well as hospitality industry developments.

The Upshot in the New York Times has a look at how the COVID-19 recession is about to slam cities, and not just ones in red states. Due to its dependence on tourism, Memphis will take a 5-9% hit on revenue. The cities that will get hit the hardest, though, are a trio in upstate New York: Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester. Their dependence on state money is what will hurt those cities to the amount of 13 to 20%.

Choose901 has a look at things to do on 9/01 Day, Tuesday, September 1.

Cocktail news: Here’s a piece on the Louisville Fig, recently enjoyed by a guest at the Peabody Hotel.

I loved Kamala Harris’ speech last night. We knew she had the smarts and the toughness, but it was so good to see the twinkle in her eye last night, a little girl who dreamed the American dream and grew up living it. She really had me when she mentioned her kids and said, “they call me Mamala.” She is going to wipe up the debate stage with the cardboard cutout known as Mike Pence in a couple of months. As for Obama, I know that had to feel good, telling us how he really feels about Donald Trump, having held it in for more than three years. I hope the former President will remain active in the Biden/Harris campaign the next 75 days.

Possibly back between 2 and 4 with a COVID update, otherwise, see you tomorrow.

Bardog’s Underdog Room has reopened. The hours are 3-10 PM Monday-Friday.

Check out this article about ArtUp, the only commercial tenant in the Artspace Lofts in South Main. Born out of the economic devastation of COVID-19, ArtUp encourages entrepreneurship among African-Americans age 14-18.

The Walk on Union, formerly Union Row, will be thoroughly digital, reports The Daily Memphian. Elevators will be there for you, you’ll be directed to the best available parking spot, and service will be on-demand throughout the complex.

Be careful if you travel out to the Kroger on Union in Midtown. A man was run over after an argument about a parking spot in the lot.

Short post today. Keep scrolling to read yesterday’s COVID-19 press conference recap. Back tomorrow with more news.

Dr. Haushalter, director of the Shelby County Health Department, led things off. She said the most promising piece of news is the steady decline in the COVID-19 testing positivity rate in recent weeks. Once over 16 percent, the number for the most recent week was 13.5. They want to get the percentage below 10, then begin looking at getting it below 5.

Another encouraging sign is that R, the reproductive rate of the virus, has been below 1 for several weeks now. That means that each person who has COVID-19 infects less than one other person on average, which is the point at which the virus starts to die out.

Dr. Haushalter reminded everyone that as we approach fall, it’s easy to want to get back to normal as the weather gets nicer and the COVID numbers start to go down. We can’t do that. We must stay vigilant.

For those going to high school football games this Friday, Dr. Haushalter challenges you to think how you’re going to do that in advance. How are you going to socially distance from other fans? Could your mask get wet, and if so should you bring a second as a backup? Hand washing is not easy to do at a football stadium, so consider bringing hand sanitizer. If over 55 or in a high-risk category for COVID-19 complications, you may want to skip football games for now.

Dr. H then gave an update on some guidelines concerning schools. She said it is no longer recommended children be screened before school or at school.

When an individual is positive, that is called a case, and they go into isolation, she explained, setting up the next part of her advice on schools. An individual with a mild case of the virus can return to work or school after 10 days of isolation and 24 hours fever-free without the help of medication. However, those with moderate or severe symptoms may need to isolate for 20 days or more to be free of symptoms, and schools and workplaces need to be able to handle that.

Also, those experiencing a household cluster may need to quarantine for 14 days and then, if they test positive, isolate for 10 days after that, a total of up to 24 days. Schools and workplaces need to be prepared for that as well.

Dr. H noted that a major function of public health is to preserve privacy, especially concerning children. Therefore they will protect privacy where schools and school systems are concerned. However, if the state issues different guidance on privacy, the Shelby County Health Department will follow that.

Jenny Bartlett-Prescott took the podium. She is the COO at Church Health and the team lead for the testing subcommittee of the COVID-19 task force. She said 30 different testing sites across the county can perform 8200 tests per week. In a followup question, she said the 30 number includes public testing sites and private providers like Walgreens and CVS. They are working to add new sites and providers. Go to covid19.memphistn.gov to find site information, including times of day, days of week, and what ages of children they accept. She said there is wide availability for testing of children. However, she asks that for both children and adults, call or text to schedule an appointment rather than just showing up. This helps them prioritize testing.

Dorcas Young Griffin, the director of the division of community services for Shelby County government, spoke next. She said that since March 13, MLGW has had a moratorium on cutoffs and late fees, but that expires Monday. Her agency, however, recognizes that there are many who are still struggling, who have bills that piled up (added by Paul: such as limited service restaurant employees who currently can’t work). There are several avenues of help available.

One avenue is the Shelby County Community Services Agency, which can help households with up to $650 of utility assistance, based on income or lack thereof. Go to shelbycountycsa.org and click on the utility assistance portion.

Another resource for assistance is MIFA, which offers one-time emergency help based on their Plus-1 Program (where your utility bill is rounded up to the next highest dollar). Go to mifa.org and click on the emergency assistance eligibility tab.

In addition, the State of Tennessee has a cash assistance program for families. See Emergency Cash Assistance on the Tennessee Department of Human Services website. The deadline for this program was supposed to pass a couple of months ago, but it has been extended to August 29.

Dr. Haushalter was asked about hospitalization in surrounding areas, and what that could mean for Shelby County. She said each hospital has overflow partners they work with as needed. The counties surrounding Memphis have representatives on the Shelby County COVID-19 task force, as do Jackson-Madison, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The task force has taken a regional approach to the pandemic.

Dr. H was asked about Harding Academy, which suspended sports activities after 12 athletes tested positive for COVID-19. She said it was disconcerting to see, given that the health department does not recommend participation in contact sports at this time.

In a followup question, she was asked about measures coaches and athletic administrators could take to keep their student-athletes as safe as possible. She said to think about social distancing them to the extent possible, to think, how do you practice in small cohorts? She reminded everyone of common-sense guidelines, such as not sharing water bottles. She also said that new advances in protective equipment (helmets with shields, mouthpieces that prevent the spread of saliva) and in testing will advice future recommendations for athletes.

As for what parents of athletes can do, Dr. H. advised to do what they can to keep the kids healthy. Make sure they get regular, nutritious meals. Make sure they get plenty of sleep. Make sure they get their flu shot. By doing these things, if infected, kids are less likely to become ill.

It was pointed out by Brad Broders of Local 24 that testing is down about 30%, and to what did she attribute that. DING DING DING! The social media “health experts” will be so happy that someone finally asked about that! Haushalter attributed it to two things: One, fewer people are physically ill and/or displaying symptoms. Secondly, around July 4 a lot of asymptomatic people were getting tested just to satisfy their curiosity, inflating the testing numbers around that time.

Bartlett-Prescott followed up, saying we’re currently in the green zone for testing, less than 70% capacity. However, capacity can change quickly, and the testing subcommittee meets every Monday. They do this to make sure the message remains consistent across testing sites.

Haushalter was asked if there had been an organizational change in the health department to investigate changes in schools. She said, just as there have been teams to investigate other clustered cases before (nursing homes, jails), there will be one for clusters in schools. The schools will need contact people for technical assistance, which it’s why it’s good to dedicate people to that area. Partnering with educators and parents will do a lot to speed up contact tracing and prevent spread.

Those are the high points. Although the declining number of tests was discussed, the trip wires were not, so people will still have something to rant and rave and fume about on social media. Back tomorrow with more news.