Author: Staff

Governor Tony Evers directed Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm on March 17 to issue an agency order prohibiting mass gatherings of 10 people or more statewide, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The measure came hours after Governor Evers declared a health emergency by Executive Order #72 to restrict groups of 50, which took effect on Tuesday, March 17 at 12:01 a.m. The new order superseded the original total of 50 with the reduced amount of 10. It will also remain in effect for the duration, and includes any gatherings at locations such as public or...

Eleven Milwaukee County Municipal Leaders, supported by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, issued an Emergency Order to close bars and restaurants in their jurisdictions to in-house patrons, effective on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and until further notice. Restaurants with take-out and delivery options will still be able to operate those services, even as dining rooms are temporarily closed. Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, St. Francis, Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay joined together in the action and issued a statement. “Clear and bold actions are needed immediately to stop the spread of COVID-19 and...

On the heels of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) issuing guidelines regarding travel and mass gatherings to help limit the spread of Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) is issuing similar guidance to help limit the spread of the virus locally. The MHD is strongly recommending that organizations limit all non-essential gatherings over 250 people to help slow the spread of disease within and between local communities. Mass gatherings and large community events bring people from multiple jurisdictions into close contact with each other, which has the potential to increase COVID-19...

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office responded to COVID-19 developments in the area, with a statement on March 13 about preparations being taken to safeguard staff, persons in custody, and its facilities. The department said it has been closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and developing contingency plans with public health partners, including the private healthcare provider for the Milwaukee County Jail, to ensure that its protocols conform to national, state, and local best practices for infectious disease control. “The COVID-19 virus is one of the most pressing and urgent challenges the Sheriff’s Office and our community face. Our response...

On March 12, Governor Tony Evers declared a public health emergency in response to new cases of COVID-19, directing the Department of Health Services (DHS) to use all the resources necessary to respond to and contain the outbreak. Just this week, Wisconsin has had 5 new cases of COVID-19, and Illinois and Minnesota have also seen increased cases. With these incidents, the Governor said there needed to be extensive contact tracing to contain the spread of COVID-19. Wisconsin also has 37 residents returning to Wisconsin from the Princess Cruise Ship who may have been exposed and need to be...