MADISON, Wis. — Governor Tony Evers called on federal lawmakers to pass more coronavirus aid on Tuesday during a coronavirus update press conference. 

“One package passed months ago is just not enough for our communities, our workers, our business owners, and our Wisconsin families who continue to struggle to make ends meat as this pandemic wears on.”

Evers and several other midwestern governors sent a letter to Congress and the White House last week urging them to pass more coronavirus aid.

Evers released an update Tuesday to how the state has allocated federal coronavirus aid.

Evers said Thursday that if another package is not passed, the state will have to make hard budgeting decisions. He said things like funding for schools and non-pandemic related healthcare would be at risk. He said pandemic response would be a priority.

“At the end of the day, people in Wisconsin will see a dramatic decrease in the services that the state provides, and resources that go directly to individuals and schools and municipalities,” Evers said.

While concern over financing the pandemic lingers, top public health officials continued to sound the alarm over rising cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

“Our case numbers are rising, this virus is claiming the lives of more of our friends and our neighbors and our hospitals are stretched too thin, this isn't sustainable and it's going to get worse,” said Andrea Palm, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-Designee.

No coronavirus patients have been transported to the Alternate Care Facility at the State Fairgrounds yet. However, Palm said hospital systems are still close to or at capacity. Health officials say the virus is straining public health systems too. 

“Public health capacity, the ability to identify clusters, to notify people have been exposed, is beyond strained,” said Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer for the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases

Public health officials say the way out of extreme level of cases is by the same public health guidelines of wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands.

“If we continue to make excuses for not doing this, we will have more deaths, we will have more people with COVID-19 and frankly we will have a lot less economic activity in the state of Wisconsin, this is a critical time folks,” Evers said.