Sobering news as the pandemic deepens in South Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and across the state.
Here are some deeply concering data points …
- South Milwaukee saw 76 new cases Oct. 9-16, our worst week so far.
- We have seen 593 confirmed cases in the city since the pandemic began about seven months ago — with 168 of them coming since Sept. 11.
- Two South Milwaukeeans died this week of the virus, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends.
- Our “burden rate” — an equalized measure of how active the virus is — stood at 410.3 as of Oct. 13, with a positivity rate of 11.3%. Both are higher than the couty as a whole. On Oct. 6, our burden rate was 164.05.
Learn more in the weekly Situational Briefing from the South Milwaukee and St. Francis Health Department.
You can find more information here on the South Milwaukee School District decision, which I fully support. District leaders are letting science, data and a focus on public health guide their actions, and they all lead to the same conclusion: Returning to virtual learning for all students is the right call.
Flexibility will be key throughout the pandemic, and the district website sums it up well …
The School District of South Milwaukee is firmly committed to providing a high quality learning environment and experience for all students, regardless of instructional model. We anticipate that we will need to move between virtual, hybrid and fully in person instruction throughout the year based on the status of the pandemic.
We all have a responsibilty and duty to take the pandemic seriously and act responsibly. Too many aren’t. Wear a mask. Socially distance. Avoid group gatherings, especially indoors. Practice good personal hygiene.
We need to slow the spread of the virus, if we want to reopen safely — or we will have too many more weeks like this awful one in South Milwaukee.
South Milwaukee Blog 