Putting Public Health First: Responding Appropriately to the Pandemic

After an unprecedented day in America, I am inspired by all those working tirelessly to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That starts with our public health professionals.

I remain as confident as ever in their work — from the CDC nationally to the state to the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Health Department. We must trust the experts, and act accordingly, to keep the public safe. And we are.

Earlier today, we met as department heads to discuss continuity of city operations, focused on ensuring we can deliver our most essential services should our employees fall ill or are otherwise impacted.

Of course, the focus is on ensuring public health officials and first responders are equipped to do their jobs first and foremost.

But we are also contingency planning around our city buildings where the public congregates, including the Grobschmidt Senior Center, South Milwaukee Library and City Hall. All our departments, all of our city services, could be impacted by this.

At the same time, we know how important communications are in this type of effort. It is critical that we are sharing clear, accurate and consistent information and messages with the public, through all of the platforms available to us. And we will.

For the most regular updates and tips, I suggest following the Health Department and city Facebook pages, checking the city website, and downloading the SM Works app.

For now, I share these links on the front page of our city site …

• March 10, 2020 Health Department Update
• Three Additional Cases of COVID-19 Confirmed in Wisconsin
• CDC: News, updates, information and resources
• CDC: Travel Information
• CDC: What to do if You Are Sick
• CDC: Frequently Asked Questions

There will obviously be much more to come on this. Unfortunately, the worst is probably ahead of us. But we have our best people working on this. I put faith in them, and am proud to lead them.