Rolling out the outline for a plan to reopen after safer-at-home restrictions, Mayor Jim Strickland reiterated his position that getting back to business would be a delicate balance between resuming normal business activity and adhering to the directives of health officials.
“…Our social distancing efforts and Safer at Home Order have shown promise,” said Strickland at Monday’s COVID-19 Joint Task Force Briefing. “They have put us in a position to consider slowly and methodically opening up our city to get back to business.” said Strickland.“
Many hours of hard work went into the plan, he said, “and the spirit of collaboration has been truly amazing to witness. I want to thank the other mayors and everyone involved for making this happen.”
Back to Business COVID Compliant Protocol
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said collaborative efforts between county officials, municipal leaders, and joint task force members have created a “phased reopening approach” which is not based on a specific date.
“Over the past several weeks, the municipal mayors and leadership from the Joint COVID-19 Task Force have consulted with the health department and local healthcare professionals to identify steps to get residents back to work safely,” Lee said.
“We have used data to drive decisions about when and how to restart our economy…We developed a phased reopening approach not based on a specific date…but on continued monitoring of data, and continued emphasis on social distancing.”
Local residents were encouraged to remain vigilant about adhering to social distancing guidelines, frequent hand-washing, and the protection of face masks while easing cautiously into re-opening. The Safer at Home Order will still be in effect, and the phased-in approach is actually a component of it, according to Strickland.
The six mayors of cities located in the county all made concurring statements.
“…As we move forward, it is still up to us as individuals to take our own precautions, and I feel we have a good plan for all of our communities.” Mayor Mike Wissman, City of Arlington
“…We must come up with a plan that we can get approval from our health department…And we must all do our part to social distance and wear cloth masks. We must not let our guard down…” Mayor Keith McDonald, City of Bartlett
“Thank you to all the residents, businesses, healthcare professionals, and municipalities in Shelby County taking the steps needed to slow the spread of COVID-19 infections. Our communities’ encouraging, unified approach to work together continues as we safely get back to business.” Mayor Stan Joyner, Town of Collierville
“I am sure I speak for all of my colleagues when I say thank you to our residents for their cooperation. We are committed to a responsible approach for getting back to business and we are thrilled that the process is taking a county-wide approach.” Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo
“As the Mayor of Lakeland, I would like to thank all Shelby County Leadership, Mayor Harris, and all Municipal Mayors for working collaboratively during this pandemic and now building our plans for reopening…I would also like to thank our citizens for their patience and cooperation through all of this.” Mayor Mike Cunningham, City of Lakeland
“…We look forward to working with the other municipalities across our county to implement this plan and getting our economy going again. We will continue to follow state guidance and health directives from the Shelby County Health Department to achieve a safe and measured approach to this matrix.” Mayor Terry Jones, City of Millington
