Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases Climb To 8,500 As Lawmakers Meet

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin has confirmed 330 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours - the fifth-highest total since the state began keeping track. Health officials also reported 13 new deaths from the virus Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday, Wisconsin has seen 8,566 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 353 virus-related deaths.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers released new plans for reopening the state's economy on Tuesday as a Republican-backed lawsuit challenging his Stay At Home order goes before the State Supreme Court.

The governor's latest plan calls for reopening the state's economy by taking steps that last two weeks, in addition to specifying three new hospital-related goals:

• 95 percent of hospitals affirm that they can treat all patients without crisis care.
• 95 percent of all hospitals affirm that they have arranged for testing for all symptomatic clinical staff treating patients at the hospital per CDC guidelines.
• A downward trend of COVID-19 cases among health care workers calculated weekly.

Crisis care is defined as being under "extreme operating conditions," health officials say.

It remains to be seen whether the Safer At Home order — or some modification of it — will stick. Evers met with Republican lawmakers on Monday in a first of sorts, as the two opposing parties came together to begin hammering out plans that the two sides can agree upon.

Evers favors a more conservative approach when it comes to reopening the state to commercial and social activity. His republican opponents are pressuring the governor to speed reopening the state's economy. The governor's Stay At Home order runs through May 26.

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Republican leaders say the Stay At Home order is too vague and runs afoul of state constitutional limits when it comes to the power granted to elected leaders. As Evers and Republican leaders met Monday, the State Supreme Court decided to hear a lawsuit brought by Republican leaders who are seeking to derail the Stay At Home order in favor of some other plan. That plan hasn't been made public yet.

On Tuesday, the state's highest court heard opening arguments in the case.

Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases: By The Numbers

The following data was provided by the Wisconsin Hospital Association via their COVID-19 Situational Awareness Dashboard. All results are current as of 3:30 p.m. on May 5.

Cases

8,566 Total Cases
330 Increase Over Last 24 Hours

Deaths

353 Total Deaths
13 Increase Over Last 24 Hours

Hospital Admissions

309 Total COVID-19 Patients
235 Patients With Pending Tests
91 Intensive Care Unit Patients

Bed Count

Intensive Care Unit
1,449 Total
407 Available

Intermediate Care
863 Total
231 Available

Medical Surgical
7,217 Total
1,662 Available

Negative Flow Isolation Beds
1,986 Total
1,203 Available

Related Reading

• Wisconsin Coronavirus Tracker
• Wearing Masks During Coronavirus: What The Wisconsin DHS Says
• Coronavirus: Some Wisconsin Businesses Can Reopen Under New Order

• What's going on in Wisconsin? Find Out Here
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