To stem the rise of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Shelby County, mask and facial covering use must increase locally, multiple public health officials reiterated at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s my belief that the only way we’re going to see the numbers going back down, hospitalizations heading back down, is we have much better uptake and much more responsible use of masking within the public,” said Dr. Jon McCullers, associate dean at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and COVID-19 task force member.