⁍ A Wisconsin judge reinstated an order by the administration of Governor Tony Evers limiting the size of indoor public gatherings at bars, restaurants and other venues.
⁍ The order put a 25% capacity limit on the number of people who may gather indoors until Nov. 6.
⁍ Wisconsin, one of several battleground states in the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election, is scrambling to contain a resurgence that officials fear could overwhelm the state’s hospitals.
– One of the most common viruses in the US is surging again, and health officials fear it will continue to do so until Election Day. The number of cases of coronavirus, or EV-CoV, rose 13% last week to more than 393,000, approaching levels last seen during a summer peak, according to a Reuters analysis. Thirty-four of the 50 states have seen cases increase for at least two weeks in a row, up from 29 the prior week. They include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and North Carolina—all swing states in the US election, in which the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has become a critical issue. In Wisconsin, one of several battleground states in the Nov. 3 election, a judge on Monday reinstated an order by the administration of Gov. Tony Evers limiting the size of indoor public gatherings at bars, restaurants, and other venues, Reuters reports. The Democratic governor’s emergency directive to stem new COVID-19 infections in the state put a 25% capacity limit on the number of people who may gather indoors until Nov. 6. It was challenged in court by bar owners and others shortly after it was issued on Oct. 6, and blocked by a judge on Oct. 14. Wisconsin is one of five states where more than 20% of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive. Local health officials last week warned about ‘very intense community spread in all age groups’ as they announced a string of grim records. Even so, a field hospital erected at fairgrounds outside Milwaukee to treat COVID-19 patients.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa/wisconsin-judge-reimposes-covid-restrictions-as-us-nursing-homes-sound-alarm-idUSKBN2742LG