Southeast Regional Health Departments Announce Prioritized Response Framework

Press release from the City of Wauwatosa:

October 29, 2020

Effective October 29, 2020, along with the Southeast Region Health Departments, the Wauwatosa Health Department enacted a prioritization framework for the response to confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wauwatosa. Prioritization of follow-up will be given to the following groups:

• Age 65 and older;
• Children who are 19 years old and younger;
• College age students;
• Individuals that are connected to a facility outbreak or potential outbreak;
• All other individuals will be contacted as capacity allows.

This change was necessary due to the escalation of cases that has made our ability to identify and control the spread of the virus increasingly difficult. Currently public health is not able to consistently notify positive cases and their close contacts in a timely manner. This severely limits our efforts to contain the virus.

As the number of cases in our community continues to climb, it has become necessary for all of us to pull back on our non-essential public gatherings and outings. Therefore, in addition to the prioritization above, we now strongly recommend all residents and business fall back to PHASE B of the Safe Opening Capacity Guidance effective October 29, 2020.

For businesses, we encourage you to visit the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Occupational Safety and Health Association websites for information on safe business practices in your respective industries. We believe these to be best practice models for the health and safety of your staff and patrons.

For our residents and visitors, we urge you to continue to follow physical distancing and personal protective measures as you move throughout our community or any other. These include but are not limited to:

• Use a mask or face covering in indoor spaces and outdoors when you cannot maintain 6 feet of separation;
• Maintaining physical distancing of six (6) feet between people not residing in a single living unit or household;
• Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as frequently as possible or using hand sanitizer;
• Covering coughs and sneezes (into the sleeve or elbow, not hands); and
• Regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces.

The health and safety of those in Wauwatosa is our first priority. We thank you for your continued patience and cooperation in this unprecedented public health crisis.

Additional Resources

• View the Southeast Region News Release
• View a dashboard with Wauwatosa data related to COVID-19.
• Visit the Centers for Disease Control website.
• Visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.

This press release was produced by the City of Wauwatosa. The views expressed here are the author’s own.