COVID-19 Update - Wednesday, September 2nd

In order to support your families being able to take a deep breath, turn away from constant news updates, and create a new temporary normal, my office will continue posting a near-daily update on the COVID-19 public health emergency to our website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It is my hope that one reliable update each day will allow you to take a deep breath, oversee all that is happening in your own life and home, and have a reliable source of news you can count on to be up to date and accurate. As always, previous updates are on our website and linked beneath the graphic below.

My greatest concerns right now are your lives and livelihoods. We are working hard to keep you and your loved ones safe, and to fight for our small businesses in an unprecedented crisis.

FEMA Approves Wisconsin for Federal Lost Wages Assistance Grant

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) submitted a grant application for Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program and has been approved.

The LWA program will allow Wisconsin to fund an additional unemployment compensation benefit of $300 per week to eligible unemployment recipients. The state's maximum weekly unemployment benefit is $370. When combined with the new program, the maximum possible benefit in Wisconsin will be $670 per week, before tax withholding, and will be retroactive to the week ending August 1, 2020.

DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman said today it'll take the department four to five weeks to set up the program in its computer system, and two more weeks to test the system. DWD estimates that 140,000 out-of-work Wisconsinites are eligible for increased unemployment benefits.

More information can be found in Governor Evers' announcement HERE or in a press release from FEMA HERE.

CDC Eviction Moratorium Order

Governor Evers' office provided the following information regarding a new eviction moratorium from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

On September 1, the CDC issued an order halting residential evictions through December 31, 2020. The order is not in effect until it is published in the Federal Register. It is scheduled for publication September 4. The order applies to just about all residential renters in Wisconsin. That’s very different from the previous federal moratorium, which only protected people residing in properties with federally backed financing or receiving federal assistance.

One of the most important things to know is that protection under the order is not automatic. It applies to a residential tenant who has provided their landlord a declaration containing certain assurances:

That the individual used best efforts to obtain all government assistance for rent/housing.
That the individual (i) has an income less than $99,000 in 2020 ($198,000 for joint filers), (ii) was not required to report income in 2019, or (ii) received a CARES stimulus check.
That the individual is unable to pay full rent because of a substantial loss of work/income/hours, or extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses.
That the individual is making best efforts to make timely partial payments.
That an eviction would likely leave the individual homeless or forced into a congregate living setting because they lack another available housing option that would not increase their housing costs (i.e. there is not a cheaper rental option).

The order includes a declaration form for renters to use. Declarations do not go to the federal government - just the landlord. Individuals must make these declarations under the penalty of perjury, and each adult listed on a lease must complete the declaration. Violators of the order can face criminal penalties.

Here is what the moratorium does not do:

It does not relieve rent payments
It does not prevent late fees/penalties
It does not prevent eviction for other reasons
It does not affect foreclosure actions
It does not protect people residing in hotels/motels or like properties

Department of Health Services Updates

For daily updated information on COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit the DHS website HERE.

Updates on the Badger Bounce Back plan gating criteria can be found HERE.
DHS COVID-19 Update 9-2-2020.png

COVID-19 CASES

Statewide

77,129 confirmed cases (increase of 545*)

6.5% of total tests are positive (for 9/2)

5,916 hospitalizations (7.7% of cases- increase of 38)

68,641 recovered cases (89% of all cases)

1,191,548 negative test results (increase of 7,831)

1,142 devastating deaths (increase of 12)

14th District Counties

Milwaukee - 24,263 confirmed cases (increase of 74)
Waukesha - 5,650 confirmed cases (increase of 43)

*Changes over yesterday

Forward together,