CITY OF MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee’s health department says it is lowering capacity limits for businesses next week as it reports a spike in COVID-19 cases in the city since last month.
The seven-day rate of cases per 100,000 people now stands at 95.6 – a rate that the health department defines as “substantial transmission.” The percentage of positive tests for coronavirus also rose to 5 percent, or “moderate transmission,” the health department said in a statement Friday.
Based on those negative trends, the department expects to change the public health order from phase 6 to phase 5 next week, including lowering capacity limits. The department admits that many companies with approved security plans may not be materially affected by the move.
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The department did not disclose details on where and for whom capacity limits would be set on Friday. But the health department gate criteria that set COVID-19-related limits do recommend capacity limits of 25 percent for businesses that don’t have approved safety plans with the city in Stage 5. It also affects religious and entertainment facilities, shops, hotels, and children. . care, among other companies.
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The trend is exacerbated by the increasing spread of COVID-19 variants, including the B.1.1.7 or UK variant, which are believed to spread more quickly and lead to worse symptoms.
The department said it is hopeful that the move in Wisconsin to getting everyone 16 or older to get the COVID-19 vaccine this week will help reduce the rising number of COVID-19 cases. For the first time, the supply of vaccines is “sufficient” to meet demand at the FEMA-led Wisconsin Center vaccination site and community sites around the city, the Milwaukee Health Department said.
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Phase 6 of the public health regulation came into effect on March 18, allowing:
- Restaurants and bars will see an increase in potential capacity and a relaxation of movement restrictions for customers within the establishment. While seating should be available and encouraged, it is no longer necessary unless a patron is eating or drinking.
- Museums can be open with capacity constraints and protective measures, including masking.
- Sporting events and recreational activities are now allowed to have a maximum of six spectators per event participant with a limit of 750 fans indoors or 1,000 fans outdoors, as long as physical distance can be accommodated. An approved safety plan can accommodate larger crowds.
- The injunction no longer limits visitors to long-term care facilities.
Some of those improvements, especially those related to capacity limits, are now expected to change.
However, since the end of March, the Milwaukee Health Department has expressed concern in a number of statements about the emergence of cases and the spread of the variants.
The city’s mask mandate remains in effect, even though the statewide version was dropped by the state’s Supreme Court last week.
Milwaukee Health Department Commissioner Kirsten Johnson described the trends in question this way in Friday’s statement:
It seems counterintuitive. At a time when vaccinations are available and everyone is aware of safe practices, we should see a decrease in COVID-19 infections. That is not the case. The presence of newer, easily carried over COVID variants is a likely culprit; another factor is COVID fatigue. With the finish line in sight, we must all take all reasonable precautions to limit the spread of the virus. “
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