MADISON, Wisc., (SPECTRUM NEWS) - New numbers show that as coronavirus spikes in the Madison area, it’s spreading largely among young people and at gatherings. 

Data from Public Health Madison Dane County shows there have been almost 1,500 new cases in the county from June 20 to July 6. About 850 people, who make up 57 percent of those new cases, were between ages 18 to 25. 

Health officials say upon interviewing them, they learned four in ten people who tested positive during that time had been at some sort of gathering. 

A large portion of those cases was spread at bars and restaurants, according to public health sanitarian Bonnie Lynn. 

 

 

“We had 43 percent of cases that were interviewed reporting a gathering or a party with people outside of their household,” says Lynn. “24 percent of those cases were associated with a cluster. And those clusters came from bars and restaurants, from college-aged housing, sororities, fraternities and near-campus apartments.” 

Dane County’s mask mandate goes into effect Monday. Masks will be required indoors pretty much anywhere but your own home. 

For more data from the Dane County Coronavirus Dashboard, click here