MADISON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) - Dane County residents will be under tighter restrictions after a big spike in COVID-19 cases.
This week, the county had its biggest five-day increase since the first cases in February. Now more than 1,400 residents have tested positive, and increased testing does not explain the spike.
“It worries us,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof, UW Health’s Chief Quality and Safety Officer. “It isn’t good for the community, it isn’t good for the businesses.”
“When we started this game, for the first two quarters, we were definitely ahead, and I think we were the favorites. But now we’re in the third quarter and coronavirus is making a comeback,” said Pothof.
Dane County has been in phase 2 of the Forward Dane reopening plan for about 10 days. Thursday night, county officials hit rewind on some of those restrictions.
Bars and restaurants can stay at 50 percent capacity, but all patrons need to be seated, not standing. Their tables need to be six feet away from each other, and customers can only be seated with people they live with. Private gatherings are limited to 10 or fewer.
Over the last few weeks, photos on social media have showed lines of college-aged customers waiting to get into bars. “One of the main things that they’re learning is that individuals between 20-29 are going to bars and taverns, and that’s where they’re getting the disease from,” said Pothof.
Pothof believes if the spread continues, restaurants and bars may need to close again. “I think if we don’t start seeing a reduction, it’s a difficult decision to make because I think our hearts go out to those bar owners and all they’ve had to deal with,” said Pothof. “But we may need to consider shutting those places down, doing pickup only if we want to get on top of this.”
There are three big things we can do to prevent the spread of coronavirus: practice physical distancing and limit your contact with others, wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, and wear a mask.
“[Wearing a mask] really has nothing to do with being strong or being weak. It really has nothing to do with politics,” said Pothof. “This is a virus and we need to take actions to stop viruses.”
“It’s just time to take a time out and figure out what did we do right, what did we do wrong,” said Pothof. “And figure out how we can win this game in the fourth quarter.”
For more details on the current restrictions, click here.