Today at 2:30 there is a press conference, you can watch it live here. They will be announcing limiting gatherings to 50 in Dane County, more school closings and more.You can watch it live or recorded here.
I will also live blog it below. A little rusty, so its rough, but it captures the main points! I watched a second time and filled in some of the blanks for the mayor and county executive to ensure accuracy.
MAYOR SATYA RHODES CONWAY
Mayor starts off by announcing that they will be limited gatherings to 50 people. This includes schools. They are also issuing guidance for many places where people come in close contact with each other – like restaurants and grocery stores. About how they can limit the contact between people. She says they understand the challenge and they are working hard to minimize the spread of the disease and harm to the community. She says we will get through this together. They need the public to remain calm. To take steps to protect ourselves and our family. Especially by social distancing and practicing extremely good hand hygiene. If sick, stay home. Call doctor before going to the doctor or hospital, so you can get the best instructions from your health care provider. City staff is working hard to manage what is going on right now and planning and preparing for the next stages. She thanks city staff and departments. She is focused on 4 things
- supporting hospitals and health care system – to make sure they can continue to care for the community
- preventing transmission
- supporting vulnerable populations (both those vulnerable specific to disease and those who were vulnerable before this – more details soon on how they are working to support the homeless community, seniors, folks who are food insecure and more)
- continuing to deliver essential public services – more to say about this in the coming days.
She again thanks the partners. She asks everyone in Madison to help – practice good hand hygiene, practice social distancing, take this seriously. Check in on your neighbors and your friends, over the phone or via social media. If you are able, financially, please consider contributing to the funds that are collecting resources to support our communities most vulnerable folks in this difficult time. She asks people to donate to United Way and the Dane County Covid-19 fund set up by the Boys and Girls Club. She says we will get through this, together. She asks everyone’s help, cooperation and patience. She says we will seeing the effects for months if not years to come.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE JOE PARISI
Thanks the media for getting the word out. Thanks the city and county staff, community partners, non-profits, community based organizations, religious organizations. Everyone is pulling together in a way he finds comforting and that gives him confidence. He says this will have a beginning, middle and end. We are at the beginning, it will increase, it will peak and it will decrease and level off. That is why they are taking aggressive action now. We can impact the trajectory of that. If we follow the guidelines we can impact how many people become ill, the duration of the peak and when it will go down. County government is focused on essential operations and prioritize helping vulnerable populations (homeless and elderly). he says this will be a challenging for some, especially those in the healthcare communit. It will be quite for others, spending more time at home and with their families. Some of us will have a lot of work to do, for others their job will be to spend more quiet time at home to practice social distancing and think about how we can be part of the solution. We have the power to impact the trajectory of the coronavirus. The virus doesn’t seem to impact younger people as much, but even if you are 20 years old, you can get sick, but you can also transmit it to others who are more vulnerable, your parents and grandparents. To the elderly population, we know you will be spending more times at home, especially in nursing homes or assisted living. It will be lonely at times, but you are not alone, we are here for you. These are aggressive moves, but its time to be aggressive because we have the power to make a substantial positive impact.
DANE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR JANEL HEINRICH
Over the past week we have seen an increase, we have 6 people with coronavirus in Dane County, 5 who are getting treatment. Last Friday they issued order to stop mass gatherings of 250. Now they are stopping mass gatherings of 50 or more people. Restaurants will have further limitations by increasing capacity to 50%. This starts at 12:01. She is also ordering the schools closed at 12:01. Schools play a critical role in important services, but also create a risk. They will continue to monitor state orders, and for now schools will be closed until April 6th, but that could change. She says you can find more information on their website for regular updates.
QUESTIONS
We can’t hear the questions.
Janel says they have been in contact with the schools in consultation with them on the decision.
One of the things we want to collectively reassure people that the services in the schools will continue to be provided.
More information is in the orders – grocery stores are excluded from the orders.
Movie theaters will be required to reduce their capacities.
This is a legal order and can be enforced by police – they can give citations, but hopes for cooperation.
What are essential services? Mayor says in every single department they did a continutiy of services plan for who is essential. They are focused on fire, public safety, public health, water, sewer, etc.
Who will work from home? Mayor says that it will be phased, some will stay home, others will have aggressive social distancing and protections.
Heinrich says that some businesses have naturally occurring social distancing, but they are looking at close contact more than 10 minutes and being closer than 6 minutes.
Day cares are expected to do the same as schools, but some will have to provide services.
School Superintendent Bellmore says they have a plan for meal delivery for the schools, the parents will be notified this afternoon. They asked students to take essential things home on Friday.
What changed? Public Health says we have one more case, but nothing else has changed since Friday.
Madison Metro is an essential services and are looking at social distancing.
Childcare facilities are exempt from the order and are private facilities and can decide on their own, they generally follow the school districts. We are working on childcare for essential workers.
Weddings and other gatherings are included.
Licensed restaurants are included.
People with mild cases are transmitting to others, but they are focusing on those that are older, immuno-compromising conditions, people with high risk of exposure and who are pregnant. Testing capacity is increasing but they are focusing on those who are vulnerable.
They ask about limiting bars, they are still looking at that and possibly phasing it in.
Restaurants are across the board, every licensed restaurant has to reduce capacity by 50%. That is the requirement as of these orders. There are additional restrictions on seating of the tables, which are in the orders.
Mayor answers question about people waiting for tables, she says we need everyone to do, is practice aggressive social distancing. If you choose to go to a restaurant, you need to be 6 feet away from the next party. We can’t police every establishment every single minute of the day. We are relying on the public and our private partners in the industry to cooperate.
WHAT IS IN THE ORDER?
Here’s the order –
Effective 12:01 3/16/2020 and in effect until further notice or when it is amended. It orders that mass gatherings are limited.
A Mass gathering is defined as:
A “Mass Gathering” is any event or convening, subject to the exceptions listed below, that brings together or is likely to bring together fifty (50) or more people in a single room or single confined or enclosed space at the same time, such as, by way of example and without limitation, public schools, private schools, charter schools, an auditorium, stadium, arena, conference room, meeting hall, theater, movie theater, exhibition center, museum, taverns, health/fitness and recreational centers, licensed pools, place of worship and religious gathering centers, and any other space where people are present and they are within arm’s length of one another for more than ten (10) minutes.
Places excluded are:
This exemption does not apply to meeting facilities, conference rooms, event spaces or banquet halls within these locations.
(i) Dane County Regional Airport;
(ii) Public, private, and charter schools only for noninstructional purposes, such as medication pickup, childcare services, providing meals, and when operating as polling places;
(iii) Childcare locations (including those that operate within a facility that is otherwise prohibited);
(iv) Hotels and motels as long as the restaurant guidelines, listed below in sub. xiv, are followed;
(v) Correctional facilities;
(vi) Shelter facilities, including day centers, for individuals and families;
(vii) Detoxification center;
(viii) Residential buildings;
(ix) Shopping malls and other retail establishments where large numbers of people are present but are generally not within arm’s length of one another for more than ten (10) minutes;
(x) Hospitals, medical facilities, and pharmacies;
(xi) Long-term care facilities as long as the guidelines listed below are followed:
a. Restrict all visitation except for compassionate care situations, such as end of life situations;
b. Restrict all volunteers and non-essential Healthcare Personnel (HCP);
c. Cancel all group activities and communal dining; and
d. Implement active screening of residents and HCP for fever and respiratory symptoms.
(xii) Libraries;
(xiii) Senior Centers only for the service of meals as long as the guidelines listed below are followed:
a. Preserve social distancing of six (6) feet between tables, booths, bar, stools, and ordering counters;
b. Cease self-service operations of salad bars and buffets; and
c. Prohibit consumers from self-dispensing all unpackaged foods.
(xiv) Restaurants as long as the guidelines listed below are followed:
a. Operate at fifty (50) percent of seating capacity;
b. Preserve social distancing of six (6) feet between tables, booths, bar stools, and ordering counters;
c. Cease self-service operations of salad bars and buffets; and
c. Prohibit customers from self-dispensing all unpackaged food.
(xv) Retail food establishments (grocery stores, convenience stores, farmer’s markets) as long as the guidelines listed below are followed:
a. If seating is offered, must operate at fifty (50) percent of seating capacity;
b. Preserve social distancing of six (6) feet between tables, booths, barstools, and ordering counters;
c. Cease self-service operations of salad bars and buffets; and
d. Prohibit customers from self-dispensing all unpackaged food.
(xvi) Office spaces; and
(xvii) Public transportation.
Events or convenings, not listed above in sub. (b), that bring together or are likely to bring together fifty (50) or fewer people in a single room or single confined or enclosed space at the same time, must comply with the following:
(i) Operate at fifty (50) percent of seating capacity; and
(ii) Preserve social distancing of six (6) feet between people.
All events or convenings, regardless of size of attendees, are encouraged to take the following precautionary steps:
a. Older adults, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, and people with underlying health conditions that are at increased risk of COVID-19 are encouraged not to attend (including employees);
b. Provide sanitation and prevention hygiene resources to all attendees and employees; and
c. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Please stop the hoard shopping and have stores limit how many people are shopping at one time. Also, stop stores, people and Amazon from price gouging disease preventive products such as disinfectants, vitamins, masks, rubber gloves, etc.