Since Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, COVID-19 cases have been rising across Wisconsin. The death toll is 1,600 as of Oct. 19, and hospitals are at 82% capacity across the state. The Wisconsin Department of Health has reported 173,891 cumulative positive cases as of Oct. 19, with an increase of 3,777 new COVID-19 infections from the day before.
According to The Department of Health Services (DHS), “We can expect to see an influx in cases reported in the following days.”
According to the DHS, due to upgrades for the COVID-19 reporting system, the state’s system was down until Monday, Oct. 19 due to the “massive increase in data” over the past couple of weeks. Because of this gap in reporting cases, the DHS urges the public to look at the averages over a seven-day period.
“We encourage you to view the 7-day average for case counts rather than focusing on the number of new cases on a given day. It is helpful to monitor the overall trends in the number of new cases as it smooths out the fluctuation we can see from day-to-day,” the DHS said.
The rising cases have led to Gov. Tony Evers to put forward an order that will limit the number of people who can gather in indoor places such as bars and restaurants to 25% capacity. Gov. Evers’ order was first challenged in court on Oct. 6, but was reinstated on Oct. 19 by Barron County Judge James Babler.
Gov. Evers said in a press release that “This critically important ruling will help us prevent the spread of this virus by restoring limits on public gatherings. This crisis is urgent. Wisconsinites, stay home. Limit travel and going to gatherings, and please wear a face covering whenever you have to go out.”
Gov. Evers has asked the state legislature to pass public health protocols in order to slow the spread of the virus as the White House Coronavirus Task Force warned Wisconsin that if critical public health mitigation orders are not implemented, the situation will get worse.