Author: Sam Buisman

Dane County adds almost 100 new COVID-19 cases in a single day over the weekend as officials rollback re-opening measures.

According to Public Health Madison and Dane County, 99 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday in Dane County, pushing the county up to 1,650 total cases. This single-day lurch comes after 400 people tested positive in Dane County from Friday the 19th to Thursday the 25th, prompting county officials to amend Phase 2 of the Forward Dane re-opening plan to constrain limits on private gatherings, restaurants and bars.

Through a press release, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi expressed wariness over the last week's jump in cases.

“Our community is facing a real turning point with the now accelerating spread of COVID-19,” said Parisi. “It's here, it's spreading, it's affecting more young people, and the risk of getting it is no less today than it was in March when the state started Safer at Home.”

Under these new limits, Phase 2 now only allows private gatherings of up to 10 people, and customers at bars or restaurants must remain sitting throughout their visit and may only sit with members of their household.

In a press release, Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County Janel Heinrich said that these restrictions aim to obstruct specific behaviors experts believe is facilitating the virus' spread.

“In contact tracing interviews, gatherings among family and friends and socializing at bars have been identified often,” said Heinrich. “We know they are a major driver of this surge in cases, and this is why we are taking this targeted approach and not moving entirely to a previous phase.”

Public Health Madison and Dane County also announced on Friday that the mobile testing site at Alliant Energy Center will extend its operations through August 31 in reaction to this surge in cases.

According to the Department of Health Services, there have been 27,743 total cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.