MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Representative Steve Cohen (D), a representative of a Tennessee district that covers the city of Memphis, sent letters to the governor of his state, the governor of Mississippi, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, encouraging them to issue a mandatory shelter-in-place order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 within his district that nears the border of Arkansas.
Cohen’s main goal of the letters is to aid Memphis’s health care facilities from becoming overcrowded by coronavirus patients.
“I write today to urgently request you issue mandatory shelter-in-place orders for your state and prohibit gatherings of more than ten people,” Cohen wrote in the letter to Hutchinson and the other governors.
“I fear that, without these preventative measures, [Memphis] will become a hub of illness that will quickly overcome Memphis’s health care facilities,” Cohen wrote.
Cohen pointed out that although his district has several “state of the art” hospitals, the issue lies in the fact that there is a lack of regional healthcare facilities across state lines.
He said some Arkansans regularly travel to Memphis for healthcare and is worried they will do the same if they contract COVID-19.
“To continue to allow residents of Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi to travel freely around their states and across state lines protects no one and puts lives at risk,” Cohen said.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris have issued stay-at-home orders for their city and county. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has issued a two-week-long “safer at home” order, which closes all non-essential businesses but lacks the mandate of a stay-at-home order.
Governor Hutchinson has not yet issued a stay-at-home order but is issuing several recommendations, such as ordering restaurants to offer to-go and delivery only, and closing salons, barbershops, and tattoo parlors due to the proximity those workers are to customers.
On Tuesday, when asked if we would consider checkpoints at the state border of Lousiana. Hutchinson said he and his staff were not currently considering the idea due to lack of resources and his worry of personnel adequately following social distancing guidelines by working at the checkpoints.
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Hutchinson on Wednesday did announce a stricter recommendation on state and national parks, confirming that they are taking further steps to reduce heavy crowding, a problem that has been prevalent in recent days and weeks.
The governor did point out that 60% of these visitors have been from out-of-state, urging Arkansans to proactively social distance and to make appropriate decision making when wanting to go outdoors by avoiding large crowds, as over half could be coming from COVID-19 hot spots.