Eau Claire County’s public health boss is worried about the local jump in coronavirus cases.
City-County health director Lieske Giese yesterday said 24 more people tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday. She said many of the cases can be tied back to local bars and restaurants. Giese says she fears people are not wearing their masks or staying socially distant.
Since March, 218 people in Eau Claire County have tested positive for the virus. Giese says 148 have been declared recovered, over eight thousand others have tested negative.
On a state level, people are wondering about masks. There is a new call to require masks in Wisconsin, but the chances that it happens are slim to none. Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes yesterday said masks should be mandatory. But he said in order to make that happen, Wisconsin lawmakers would have to agree. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he doesn’t want to see masks be required.
And nationally, the brakes are being applied in many places.
Several states are putting reopening plans on hold as the coronavirus continues to surge across the country. In Arizona, Texas, and parts of California bars have been ordered to close again. In Florida, beaches in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach were ordered off-limits for the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend. Also, in Florida, all bars are again blocked from serving drinks to be consumed on the premises.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert is scheduled to update lawmakers on Capitol Hill today about the coronavirus pandemic. Doctor Anthony Fauci has warned states to follow CDC guidelines for reopening businesses. Now Fauci says how the country deals with the next two weeks is critical as cases of the respiratory illness spike in states across the country.
