Mass Gatherings Of 50 Or More Banned; 47 Coronavirus Cases In WI

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is directing the state's Department of Health Services to order a ban on gatherings of 50 or more people starting midnight Monday, Evers announced at a news conference Monday afternoon.

At the same news conference, health officials said that Wisconsin now has 47 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Officials also said that 504 people have tested negative for the respiratory illness.

Officials said they would update the locations of Monday's 13 new cases which would be "likely reflect person-to-person transmission in Wisconsin," Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer from the Bureau of Communicable Diseases said Monday afternoon. On Monday, authorities reported there were four new cases in Dane County, six new cases in Milwaukee County and two new cases in Winnebago County.

"My expectation is that it's not in all Wisconsin communities," he said.

Westergaard said it would not be beyond expectation that it could spread to all Wisconsin communities based on what he's seeing across the U.S.

"This growth is not unexpected as more people have been tested," Designee Andrea Palm, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary, said. "We must slow the spread of COVID-19. In the coming days and weeks, there are going to be more disruptions in your lives. We will get through this together."

At the news conference Monday afternoon, Evers apologized to students over the disruptions.

"We know it stings, but we're very sorry it had to happen. If there's any lesson that can be learned here, it's that life is unpredictable," he said. "Please understand that your health and safety is our top priority." On Thursday, Evers ordered all public and private K-12 schools closed starting March 18 through at least April 6 over coronavirus concerns.

Earlier in the day, Evers reminded residents of the importance of following social distancing guidelines.

"Folks, it’s on all of us to practice social distancing and take every step possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. That is why I have directed Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to order a ban on mass gatherings of 50 or more people," Evers wrote in a Twitter post Monday afternoon. "Critical infrastructure and services such as grocery stores, food pantries, childcare centers, pharmacies, and hospitals will be exempt from this order." Airports are also exempted from the restriction, officials said.

Evers said Wisconsin officials are following the Centers For Disease Control and Department of Health Services recommendations when it comes to mass gatherings. Evers said the partial mass gathering ban would be enforced by local officials.

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Monday's order includes any gatherings at locations such as public or private schools, theaters, museums, stadiums, conference rooms, meeting halls, taverns, health and fitness centers, and places of worship. Critical infrastructure and services such as grocery stores, food pantries, child care centers, pharmacies and hospitals are exempt from this order. "The supply chain of food in this state is still strong," Evers said. "People shouldn't be hoarding.

Restaurants and bars are required to operate at less than 50 percent capacity or have fewer than 50 people, whichever is less, according to the order.

"This isn’t a decision I made lightly and we understand this will have an impact on Wisconsin workers, families, businesses and communities, but keeping folks safe and healthy has to be our highest priority," Evers wrote Monday.

Westergaard said they want to slow the spread of COVID-19 to prevent health care providers from getting overwhelmed.

"This situation is one health officials want to avoid at all cost," Westergaard said of a sudden spike in cases. "We have a finite number of beds and ventilators."

"The state public health lab can now test 400 cases per day, seven days per week," he said. Westergaard said there is not enough capacity to test everyone who has a wide variety of symptoms, he said. Most of people who have a cold, Westergaard said, should self-isolate. "We must prioritize for people who have been hospitalized."

Today, I directed @DHSWI to issue an agency order mandating the closure of all K-12 Wisconsin schools, public and private, as part of our efforts to respond to and contain the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/GovEvers/s... 13, 2020

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