Health officials in Wisconsin are scrambling to treat a spike in coronavirus infections that has the state’s governor stressing the need for residents to adhere to lockdown restrictions.
Almost 1,500 people have died from issues resulting from the coronavirus in Wisconsin, and as of Thursday, more than 650 people were being treated in Wisconsin hospitals for the disease. Officials recorded 27 deaths on Wednesday, which marked a grim record as the highest number of daily deaths from the disease in the state since the pandemic began.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers said the state was in the middle of a “crisis” just over a week after he declared a state of emergency aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
“We are nine months into this pandemic,” the Democrat said. “It’s not slowing down. It’s picking up speed. We have got to put the brakes on this pandemic.”
Evers tasked residents with abiding by a statewide mask mandate and asked residents to reconsider nonessential outings.
“Skip the play dates, the dinner parties, family get-togethers, and work conferences or any other gatherings with people you don’t live with for the time being,” Evers said. “I cannot stress this enough. No party, no bar, no gathering is worth it.”
Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, told the Hill that if nothing changes, he expects the number of infected people to climb substantially as fall and winter set in.
“We’re setting records now, at a point which is the beginning of respiratory virus season,” Westergaard said. “If we do nothing differently, I would say it’s a high likelihood that it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
