Wisconsin
Dept. of Health Services
Governor
Tony Evers declared a public health emergency today in response to new cases of
COVID-19. Governor Evers signed Executive Order #72 directing the Department of
Health Services to take all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent and
respond to incidents of the virus. The complete press release is below.
Gov.
Evers Declares Public Health Emergency Due to COVID-19
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MADISON
— Gov. Tony Evers today 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 new cases
there needs 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 in monitored
self quarantine for 14 days.
“We
have been working aggressively to slow the spread of COVID-19, and this
declaration allows us to get the resources we need to continue to be
proactive when it comes to protecting Wisconsinites,” said Gov. Evers. “It is
the latest step in the work our state agencies have been doing around the
clock with our healthcare partners to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19
becoming a global pandemic.”
The
governor signed an executive order that directs DHS to take all necessary and
appropriate measures to prevent and respond to incidences of COVID-19. It
allows the Department to purchase, store, or distribute appropriate
medications, regardless of insurance or other health coverage, as needed to
respond to the emergency. It also authorizes state funds to support local
health departments with costs related to isolation and quarantine, as well as
the use of the Wisconsin National Guard.
Executive
Order #72 can be found here.
Wisconsin's
latest cases are in Piece, Dane, Fond du Lac, and Waukesha counties. The
state's first confirmed case of COVID-19 was discovered in Dane County in
early February. That patient was exposed to known cases while in China, and
after isolating at home has now recovered and is doing well.
If
COVID-19 begins to spread in Wisconsin communities, state and local
public health officials will consider community interventions such as social
distancing, replacing in-person meetings with telework when possible,
reviewing workplace sick leave policies, modifying, postponing or canceling
mass gatherings, implementing restrictions on visitors to residential
treatment and living facilities, and closures of schools, childcare settings.
Decisions
about the implementation of community measures will be made by state and
local officials based on CDC and DHS guidance, as well as the scope of the
outbreak.
People
should follow simple steps to avoid getting sick, including:
“This
can be a frightening time, but our state has incredible health professionals
who are working to contain the spread,” Gov. Evers said. “We cannot do this
alone, we need all hands on deck to protect the public from COVID-19.”
Recently
DHS released new guidance for mass gatherings and travel, which can be found
at the DHS website linked below.
This
is a rapidly evolving situation and we encourage you and the public to
frequently monitor the DHS website for updates, and to follow
@DHSWI on Facebook and Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram. Additional information can be
found on the CDC website.
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