Milwaukee Advises Face Masks Amid Delta Variant

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee health officials advised residents to wear masks indoors as the delta variant reached substantial transmissions in the region.

The City of Milwaukee Health Department released its advisory Thursday saying that people regardless of vaccination status should wear a mask indoors with people outside of their household.

The advisory followed higher coronavirus transmission rates and new mask recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the department said in a statement.

Masking is not a requirement in the City of Milwaukee, nor is there a statewide mandate. The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a statewide mask mandate in March. Local authorities can still issue their own masking rules.

The health department encouraged residents to slow the surge of positive COVID-19 cases by getting vaccinated and wearing face masks.

"While the vaccine effectively protects individuals from severe symptoms, hospitalization and death, preliminary evidence shows fully vaccinated people who become infected can still spread the virus to others," the department said.

Milwaukee's transmission rate has elevated from a "substantial" rating of 50.7 positive cases per 100,000 people on July 22 to 95.4 positive cases per 100,000 people Thursday, according to the department's Moving Milwaukee Forward Safely review. The last time the review had a "substantial" rating was in May, with 51.2 cases per 100,000 people.

The CDC released a recommendation Tuesday saying that even fully vaccinated people were advised to wear masks indoors in locations with "substantial" or "high" coronavirus transmission.

Eleven Wisconsin counties have either "substantial" or "high" transmission rates, according to CDC data.

See Also: 11 WI Counties Could Be Affected By CDC's New Mask Guidance