Evers extends mask mandate, declares new emergency

Gov. Tony Evers Tuesday declared a new public health emergency in Wisconsin due to recent surge in COVID-19 cases among young people and issued a new mask mandate effective immediately.

The previous mandate was set to expire Sept. 28. The new order extends that until at least Nov. 21.

In Shawano County, confirmed cases of the coronavirus jumped by 220 over the course of a week, from 410 on Sept. 15 to 630 on Sept. 22, with 100 new cases reported over the course of the weekend.

Menominee County cases rose to 59 on Sept. 22 from 36 on Sept. 15.

Shawano-Menominee Counties Public Health Director Vicki Dantoin could not be reached for a comment by press time.

“We continue to learn more about this virus, but what we do know is that we are facing a new and dangerous phase of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Wisconsin,” Evers said in a statement.

“We are seeing an alarming increase in cases across our state, especially on campus,” he said. “We need folks to start taking this seriously, and young people especially—please stay home as much as you are able, skip heading to the bars, and wear a mask whenever you go out. We need your help to stop the spread of this virus, and we all have to do this together.”

With the start of the school year, Wisconsin is seeing a surge in cases, especially among young people. In fact, 18- to 24-year-olds have a case rate five times higher than any other age group.

This significant increase has only occurred within the past month and appears to be driven by in-person social gatherings, according to the state.

Last week, eight Wisconsin cities were listed among the top twenty cities in the United States where COVID-19 cases were rising fastest, and six of those eight cities have University of Wisconsin System campuses.

“The current surge among young people is concerning, but it is important to remember that this increase in cases is not confined to college campuses,” Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said.

“Students come to these campuses from across the state, and we worry about the effect their return from an area with a high infection rate could have on their home communities. That is why it is imperative we take action to curb transmission now – to protect residents of Wisconsin in every corner of the state.”

According to state figures, Wisconsin is now experiencing unprecedented, near-exponential growth of the COVID-19 pandemic with the daily number of new cases rising from 678 on Aug. 31 to 1,791 on Sept. 21, a 2.6-fold increase in three weeks, driven in part by the unprecedented number of infections among 18-24 year-olds.