COVID-19 Spread In Wisconsin: What To Know Before 2021 Halloween

MILWAUKEE, WI — All 72 counties in Wisconsin have high levels of COVID-19 transmission as of Wednesday, data from federal health officials showed. Trick-or-treaters will inevitably line the streets of countless Wisconsin cities and college students will likely go out to bars or to costume parties.

COVID-19 cases sharply increased in August this year and have steadied since, Wisconsin Department of Health Services data shows. Some 4,128 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 24, 2020, and 1,254 people tested positive on the same date in 2021. Some 3,173 people tested positive on Oct. 5, the highest peak so far this fall.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that kids should be able to trick-or-treat this year, but people should avoiding large gatherings this Halloween if they're unvaccinated, the Washington Post reported.

Here are some tips from the CDC for a safe Halloween:

• Wear a well-fitting mask over your mouth and nose. Costume masks are not a substitute for other masks. Masks shouldn't be worn by those under 2.
• Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have a close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
• Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.
• If you're sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, you shouldn't attend large gatherings.
• Protect young kids and other people that aren't eligible for vaccination by getting vaccinated.
• Wash hands and sanitize them in between houses.
• Stay six feet away from people that don't live with you.

COVID-19 outbreaks in Wisconsin linked to college and university campuses increased sharply in August 2020 and were followed by outbreaks in high-risk congregate settings, a federal health study showed.

College and university campuses made up for 15 percent of largest numbers of outbreak-related cases in the state between September and November 2020, federal health officials said. Long-term health care had the highest number of outbreak-related cases in this time, with 26.8 percent