WI Coronavirus Cases Could Reach 22K If Orders Not Followed: DHS

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin health officials warned that more than 22,000 people could become infected with the coronavirus and 1,000 people could die within two weeks if residents do not adhere to Tuesday's stay-at-home order, according to Wisconsin Department of Health Services officials.

Evers announced the order, which he calls the "safer at home" order, on Monday morning. He officially unveiled the order, which you can read here, on Tuesday morning. The order is effective at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25 and will remain in effect until 8 a.m. Friday., April 24, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued, state officials said. The order restricts people's movements, limiting them to essential tasks only. To find out more about the order, you can read about it here.

During a Tuesday afternoon briefing, Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said the number of infected people in Wisconsin could multiply by 50 times within two weeks if people ignore the stay-at-home order.

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"It is abundantly clear that you are safer at home. I've heard some people question this when there are only 457 cases and five deaths in a state as large as Wisconsin," she said. "Our state benefits from the experience of others who have come before us in this pandemic."

Palm said Wisconsin health officials are comparing the state's outbreak data with what happened in Italy and Wuhan, China to extrapolate what is next for the state.

Without mass-gathering bans and stay-at-home restrictions, Palm indicated the situation would quickly escalate.

"The models show us that we would likely have 22,000 Wisconsinites test positive for COVID-19 by April 8, and an estimated 440 to 1,500 deaths," she said.

Palm said that situation would overwhelm the health care system.

According to the latest figures released on Tuesday, March 24 by state health officials, Milwaukee County saw the greatest increase in confirmed coronavirus cases with 15. Dane County saw 11 new cases overnight. Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Washington and Douglas County each saw two new cases. The total number of cases in Wisconsin has climbed to 457 cases. That's up 41 cases from Monday, and 385 cases more than one week ago.

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You can watch the Tuesday, March 24 public health briefing here.