On September 22, Governor Tony Evers issued Executive Order 90, declaring a public health emergency, and corresponding Emergency Order 1, regarding face coverings in certain situations for people over the age of 5. Face coverings are required to be worn whenever you are indoors or in an enclosed space, other than a private residence, and other people are present in the same room or space.
You can do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by staying safer at home whenever possible, wearing a face covering, and washing your hands frequently.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2020
Contact:
Jennifer Miller, 608-266-1683
Elizabeth Goodsitt, 608-266-1683
DHS Launches COVID-19 Individual Decision Tool to Help Wisconsinites Keep Each Other Safe
Wisconsin is seeing significant COVID-19 activity, and data show that this is at least partly due to activities like gatherings. Data obtained from contact tracing calls indicate that the percent of people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 who reported attending a gathering, party, or other meet up with people outside their home in the past two weeks grew from 7% of cases in May to 21% of cases in June and 20% of cases in July.
DHS urges residents to consider how individual actions like the decision to attend a gathering may contribute to community spread. To support residents in making safer choices, DHS has launched a new Decision Tool for Individuals and Families.
“The safest choices are to stay home and wear a face covering when you are out,” said Governor Tony Evers. “At the same time, we know from the data that people are choosing to participate in activities that put themselves and others at risk, and we hope this tool will assist people in making safe choices. I understand the pull to see family and do the activities we love to do, but we also need to protect ourselves and each other as much as possible.”
The aim of the Decision Tool for Individuals and Families is to help people assess risk and determine the best course of action to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe. By providing questions to consider, scenarios to think through, and the available evidence behind certain recommendations, the tool is designed to give Wisconsinites necessary information to make choices that will help stop the spread.
“This tool is meant to empower people to choose safer activities whenever possible,” said DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. “All activities involve some level of risk, and depending on the individual participating and the community where the activity is located, that risk is evolving and multi-dimensional. This tool gives people additional questions to consider when making decisions about which activities to participate in.”
For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. We also encourage you to follow @DHSWI on Facebook(link is external) and Twitter(link is external), or dhs.wi on Instagram(link is external) for more information on COVID-19.
Washburn County Guidance on Herd Immunity and COVID-19 Parties: CLICK HERE!
Washburn County Mask Mandate Guidance: CLICK HERE!
Washburn County COVID-19 Case Spike Information: CLICK HERE!
GOVERNOR EVERS EXECUTIVE ORDER #82 / EMERGENCY ORDER #1: CLICK HERE!
Douglas County, WI Free COVID-19 Testing
Testing Flyer 2020 Click Here!
COVID-19 Wisconsin Connect is a helpful resource for learning new information about COVID-19. A safe place to share your thoughts, check facts, and learn to cope with managing work, job loss, family, stress and much, much more. The Village of Minong encourages all residents to click the logo, sign up and become part of the COVID-19 Wisconsin Connect Community! Or, CLICK HERE!
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COVID-19 Situation Report: June 15, 2020
As of Monday, June 15, the immediate COVID-19 outlook for Washburn County is cautiously optimistic. After the reopening of Wisconsin and the initial influx of summer tourists visiting the county, we have (so far) avoided an outbreak. The testing capacity has increased to assure that anybody who needs to be tested is able to be tested in Washburn County. Our local hospitals have enough masks and gloves for staff and our regional hospitals with the ability to provide ventilator support are not currently overwhelmed. We must continue to practice social distancing and use of face masks, but we can now consider relaxing a bit and enjoying the summer in our beautiful county.
MEASURES TO CONTINUE:
Practice social distancing by keeping six (6) feet between yourself and others. Physical distance between non-household contacts is a key tool in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Crowds become lower risk if attendees are able to physically distance themselves.
Considerations for social gatherings:
- Limiting the size of gatherings is still advisable. If a gathering sees 200 attendees in a room together, the risk of virus transmission increases greatly because social distancing is difficult to practice and the likelihood of participants disregarding mask recommendations or policies increases. If one individual in the crowd has COVID-19, the other 199 attendees will be in quarantine for 14 days from the date of the gathering.
- If you do hold an event, register all attendees. Be sure to compile a list of everybody in attendance, including any vendors or staff, along with contact information. One method to complete this would be requiring registration prior upon arrival. This will ensure that anyone who is exposed to COVID-19 at a gathering is informed of their risk of infection and given instructions on quarantine and symptom monitoring. This is key to stopping the spread of the virus.
Considerations for parents:
- Take precautions while at the playground. Parents should encourage their children to keep physical distance between themselves and other children using playground equipment. Children should wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after using playground equipment.
- Consider alternative ways to participate in summer sports. Parents and coaches should encourage physical distancing between children. Team sports, such as baseball, softball, and soccer, should consider having children sit with their parents in the stands (distanced from other families) instead of in the dugout or on the bench if there is not enough room for teammates to spread out.
- It is up to the parents to decide how much risk you want to take. Children appear to be at lower risk of serious complications from COVID-19, however we are seeing an alarming increase in reports of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in children with COVID-19 which can cause permanent internal damage or death. Children also appear more likely to be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 and can unknowingly spread the virus to high-risk family members, such as grandparents.
Wear a mask or face covering. Especially where physical distancing of six (6) feet is difficult, you should wear a mask or face covering when in public. Masks act as a physical barrier between the wearer’s nose/mouth and the air to prevent infectious respiratory droplets from entering the air. Masks may not be enjoyable to wear, but using them helps to keep you from unknowingly infecting others. It is worth a little discomfort to keep the community healthy.
Get tested if you have any symptoms. No matter how mild the symptoms, if you have even one symptom you should get tested. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, sore throat, shortness of breath, cough, muscle aches, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and new loss of taste or smell. Testing is available in Washburn County to anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or anyone who has been exposed to an individual with COVID-19. Call your provider or find instructions on accessing testing on the Washburn County website: https://www.co.washburn.wi.us/news/public-health/Coronavirus-Outbreak
Stay home if you have symptoms, test positive, or are told that you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19. Because this is a pandemic, we expect to see cases regardless of precautions put in place. However, if people stay home when they are infectious or in their incubation period, we can keep the case count under control, our local and regional health care systems from being overwhelmed, and avoid needing to lock everything down again.
Be aware of who your close contacts are. Many people have expanded their circle of close contacts to individuals beyond the household. If you are now gathering with your extended family, neighbors, or friends and are not wearing masks or social distancing, make sure you are able to tell the Health Department who those people are if you do get COVID-19. We will need to contact them to inform them of their exposure and provide instructions on quarantine and symptom monitoring. This is key to stopping the spread of the virus.
COVID-19 IS AN ONGOING GLOBAL PANDEMIC
We are not through this yet. Because this is a global pandemic, every one of us could get sick with COVID-19. It will continue to spread until we have all had it or until we have a vaccine to prevent it. Many areas that have relaxed prevention measures are seeing spikes in cases (including: Arizona, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, and a dozen other states). We can expect to see an increase in cases this fall with the start of influenza season because that is typically when we see all seasonal respiratory viruses increase. Co-infections have the potential to cause worse outcomes for individuals who contract COVID-19 and see more patients needing major medical interventions.
The Washburn County Health Department recognizes that this is a challenging time for everyone, full of uncertainties. These precautions are necessary because we do not have any other tools available to protect the public from COVID-19. Until a vaccine or treatment becomes available to prevent serious cases and death, the public must stay vigilant in its practices to prevent getting sick and prevent unnecessary deaths. We will continue to monitor the situation, take any necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of our residents, and provide updates to the public.
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NATIONAL GUARD TESTING SITES: CLICK HERE!
WASHBURN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT DRIVE UP TESTING: CLICK HERE!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/01/2020
Contact: Cheri Nickell, Washburn County Health Officer
715-635-4400
COVID-19: Drive-up Testing Event Available for Washburn County Residents
Washburn County Health Department announced today that local public health departments in northern
Wisconsin have requested assistance from the WI National Guard to scale up COVID- 19 testing.
Washburn County Health Department and Emergency Management are partnering with Douglas County and
Bayfield County to host a community “drive-up” specimen collection site in Solon Springs on
Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
WASHBURN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT FACE MASK PRESS RELEASE CLICK HERE!
GOVERNOR EVERS: HEALTH ORDER #12 SAFER AT HOME CLICK HERE!
GOVERNOR EVERS PRESS RELEASES: CLICK HERE!
GOVERNOR EVERS EMERGENCY ORDER #11 PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ADMINISTRATIVE RULES SUSPENSIONS: CLICK HERE!
*NOTICE OF OFFICE CLOSURE TO ALL VILLAGE OF MINONG RESIDENTS: CLICK HERE!
VILLAGE OF MINONG RESOLUTION CV19-20 DECLARING A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS: CLICK HERE!
*WASHBURN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATED (3.19.20) COVID 19 MESSAGE MAP: CLICK HERE!
*GOVERNOR EVERS DECLARATION: COVID-19 HEALTH EMERGENCY IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN: CLICK HERE!
*STATE OF WI COVID 19 HEALTH EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE!
*GOVERNOR EVERS STATE OF WISCONSIN EMERGENCY ORDER #5: CLICK HERE!
UPDATED: 3.23.20 TRAVEL ORDER WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES: CLICK HERE!
THERE IS CURRENTLY NO VACCINE TO PREVENT COVID-19
So the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed. Recommended everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, include:
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
• Wash your hands often, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
HELPFUL LINKS BELOW FOR ONGOING COVID-19 UPDATES
For the most up to date news and information, follow the Wisconsin Department of Health Services at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/outbreaks/index.htm
Also use the following important list of links from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
