Author: Sam Buisman

The coronavirus kept UW-Madison students at home during the annual Mifflin Street Block Party this weekend. 

Both the Madison and the University of Wisconsin Police Departments reported no incidents on Saturday related to the annual deluge of day-drinking on Mifflin Street. Madison Police spent the week prior warning Mifflin residents of aggressive citations for any public gatherings in the interest of public health.

Through the Madison Police Department website, Sgt. Blake Hoefs remarked, “residents in the Mifflin Street area have shown a commitment to public health and safety by foregoing the annual block party.”

While the block party often draws over 15,000 partygoers and hundreds of arrests, Madison Police reported that they had made no arrests and issued no citations as of 2 P.M., when partying usually peaks. 

In the week leading up to the annual party date, Madison Police met with residents on Mifflin Street to dissuade them from hosting any type of large gatherings, taking down their information and handing out pamphlets with guidelines for the weekend.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there are currently 6,081 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, 412 of which are in Dane County.