Schools saw COVID-19 even when universal masking was required. The numbers from the first week of school, prior to Gov. Bill Lee’s order, provide a baseline.

Masks will be required in all public, indoor settings, including restaurants and bars.

The CEO of the region’s trauma center and safety net hospital said national competition among hospitals for the skilled specialists needed to put 21 beds back in use at Regional One is intense and costly. 

There are also questions about whether the move back to masks is legal, given the governor’s recent executive order.

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Health Dept. Director: Shelby County mask mandate ‘needs to happen quickly'

“I anticipate, honestly, that everyone that got the vaccine is going to want the booster. That is the feedback I have been getting,” says Melanie Keller, CEO of Meritan.

Suburban districts shared the number of students opting out following Gov. Bill Lee’s order. However, most students continue to mask.

“We must have a universal mask mandate in Shelby County and it needs to happen quickly,” Health Department director Dr. Michelle Taylor told the County Commission Wednesday. 

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Most — but not all — county commissioners support return to masks

Memphis City Council members cool on consolidation, Collierville Schools has hundreds of students in quarantine and we barely knew Patrick Beverley. 

The letter circulating Tuesday warns of “catastrophic” effects that could “affect health care at every level.” Meanwhile, the city council is urging Gov. Bill Lee to rescind his executive order to allow parents to opt out of school mask mandates.

Some students at the University of Memphis are petitioning to make the hybrid model a permanent option for all courses. 

Students are still mandated to wear masks, unless parents present a formal, written request to school officials to opt out.

Some restaurants are once again closing because of employees testing positive, and a group of employees walked out of Soul Fish’s Midtown location on Sunday because it didn’t close.

An attorney representing the Kroger security guard accused of fatally shooting an unarmed Black man does not want videos of the incident released saying the videos could “taint” a jury pool. 

The earliest the City Council could vote on setting up a charter commission is its Sept. 7 meeting. 

The final “Be a Good Neighbor” vaccination event will be held from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 at Greenlaw Community Center.

Health care workers say they are standing in solidarity with colleagues in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas who have petitioned their state governments to remove mandates that interfere with public health.

State calls in National Guard to help out at over-burdened hospitals, new flights are taking off at Memphis International, and the grass is almost greener at Overton Park. 

The newly planted greens of MiniVerde Bermudagrass are 99% ready. But the Bermuda Certified 419 fairways and tees still have bare spots, and the tall fescue for the natural areas and habitats must be reseeded this fall, the city’s top golf official says.

Memphians are not happy with Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of mask mandates in schools. 

Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. senators were highly critical of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. military forces before his speech Monday, Aug. 16. They were more critical after the speech.

Suburban school districts are no longer requiring mask mandates for students, in line with Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order. However, the Shelby County mandate still affects staff.