Wisconsin continues to see significant community spread of COVID-19, and contact tracing data shows some of that spread has come from parties and other gatherings with people outside the household.
Data obtained from contact tracing calls indicate that the percent of people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 who reported attending a gathering, party or other meet up with people outside their home in the past two weeks grew from 7% of cases in May to 21% of cases in June and 20% of cases in July.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has launched a new "Decision Tool" to help people walk through the decision to attend a gathering that may contribute to community spread. The tool takes into account risk factors related to your home environment, including if you live with people that are high risk. It also provides guidance based on the type of activity and the location. Finally, it also suggests considerations related to what community you live in.
“The safest choices are to stay home and wear a face covering when you are out,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “At the same time, we know from the data that people are choosing to participate in activities that put themselves and others at risk, and we hope this tool will assist people in making safe choices. I understand the pull to see family and do the activities we love to do, but we also need to protect ourselves and each other as much as possible.”
|
|
The aim of the "Decision Tool" is to help people assess risk and determine the best course of action to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe. By providing questions to consider, scenarios to think through, and the available evidence behind certain recommendations, the tool is designed to give Wisconsinites necessary information to make choices that will help stop the spread.
“This tool is meant to empower people to choose safer activities whenever possible,” said DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. “All activities involve some level of risk, and depending on the individual participating and the community where the activity is located, that risk is evolving and multi-dimensional. This tool gives people additional questions to consider when making decisions about which activities to participate in.”
