Public Health Madison and Dane County is urging school districts to continue a virtual format for grades 3-12, despite Wisconsin Supreme Court ordering a temporary injunction of Emergency Order #9.
On Tuesday, PHMDC filed a motion in hopes of getting the temporary injunction lifted.
Officials outlined the following reasons for their stance, writing:
- More people than ever are being diagnosed with COVID-19 in Dane County. The most recent 14-day PDF average was 94 cases per day, which doubled from the prior reporting period PDF. Dane County hit a one-day record of cases on September 9 with 487.
- The Department of Health Services categorizes Dane County as having a high and growing, burden of disease.
- We are also in a period of some of the highest percent positivity that the county has ever had.
- About a third of people who test positive for COVID-19 do not know where they could have been exposed, indicating we have community spread, and people should limit contact with others.
- A high percentage of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 are associated with UW-Madison. We are monitoring for spread from UW to the larger Madison and Dane County community, but given the incubation period of COVID-19, this spread might take time to become evident.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi issued a statement following the advice:
To read more go to WKOW: https://wkow.com/2020/09/15/dane-county-health-department-urges-schools-to-keep-virtual-format-despite-order-injunction/