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Dear Neighbor,

Over the last few weeks, I have been sharing updates as I reive new information regarding COVID-19 in Wisconsin. Today, I am writing to share that Racine now has two confirmed “community spread” cases of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. This means that the cases were spread person-to-person without known exposure to a prior case.

This is not the time to panic, but we have no more time to waste. When community spread happens, as it has here in Racine, it means that we must all act quickly and decisively to protect our vulnerable friends, family, and neighbors and minimize the risk to essential workers, including healthcare, childcare, and grocery employees.

We each can take immediate steps to slow the transmission in our community and flatten the curve of the outbreak, so those who need it will be able to access medical care.

Please join me in taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19 today:

  • Practice social distancing and stay home if you possibly can. Governor Evers has prohibited gatherings of ten or more people are prohibited except in certain essential locations (for example, hospitals and grocery stores). If you must be away from your home, stay six to ten feet away from others in public.
  • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time. If you don't have access to soap and water, hand sanitizer is a good tool, but less effective.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a disposable tissue, and throw the tissue away immediately after. Avoid touching your face or eyes.
  • Regularly clean and sanitize commonly touched surfaces in your home and workplace, including door knobs, light switches, and counter tops.
  • Stay home if you are feeling ill, and call your doctor before going in for a visit if you suspect you are sick. We are encouraging using telehealth and calling ahead to doctors, clinics, and hospitals whenever possible to minimize spreading COVID-19 and other illnesses to vulnerable people.

 

Now is the time to act. Even if you are not personally worried about COVID-19, social distancing and the other precautions outlined above are the best way to protect your vulnerable or immunocompromised friends, family, and neighbors, and slow the rate of cases so our healthcare workers and our hospitals are not overwhelmed.

Governor Tony Evers, the Wisconsin State Department of Health Services, and the legislature are working closely with local health officials and federal agencies to establish measures to assist in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and provide resources to members of our community who are impacted by COVID-19 related closures.

Thank you for taking this seriously. Please don't hesitate to reach out to my office via email at rep.neubauer@legis.wisconsin.gov or via phone at 888-534-0066. I will continue to work on your behalf, and I will continue to share information and updates as I have them. Together, we can get through this crisis. 

 

In Solidarity,

2018 NEUBAUER Signature.jpg

Greta Neubauer

State Representative

66th Assembly District

 

The Governor's office has launched a website with information and resources throughout the state government. You can visit it HERE

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has a website tracking COVID-19 in Wisconsin and providing resources and guidance to the public, including resources from the CDC. This website is updated daily by 2:00 p.m. You can visit it HERE.  

For more information regarding community spread of COVID-19, please see this article from the Racine Journal-Times​. 

 

RECAP: Social Distancing – How and Why?

With the announcement of two new COVID-19 cases in the Racine community, please continue to practice social distancing to protect our vulnerable neighbors and slow the spread of COVID-19.

WHY: The shutdowns and closures we have seen over the last week may feel extreme, but they are necessary to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Because COVID-19 is highly contagious and can be spread by people who are not showing any symptoms, it is critical that we all limit our interaction with others.

Preliminary evidence shows that COVID-19 can have severe negative impacts on older individuals, people with weakened immune systems, and people with underlying health conditions. By staying home, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 to those individuals, and prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by patients who need the most attention. This way, we can support our healthcare workers and help to ensure our hospitals can effectively treat patients who need care the most.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: We all have a part to play in protecting our vulnerable friends, family, and neighbors and in slowing the spread of COVID-19. The best thing we can do to get through this crisis is to stay home and avoid group events. If you must leave your home (for example, if your work will not permit you to work remotely, or if you need to gather food and essential supplies), you can stay six to ten feet away from other people. The term we use to describe this practice is “Social Distancing” – the intentional and conscious effort to reduce close contact between people and limit the community transmission of a virus.

If as many of us practice social distancing as possible, we can slow the transmission of the virus, to ourselves, to our vulnerable neighbors, and to the people who must work outside of their homes, like healthcare workers. Together, we can protect our community.

I know that this is a challenge for many of us – it is difficult for me to not be out and about in the community, too. However, if you are able to stay home, please do so. In Racine, we take care of each other, and while we pride ourselves on coming together, this is the time to come together in spirit, rather than face-to-face. We can get through this together.

 

Wondering what people mean when they say we need to "flatten the curve"? Check out this article from Wisconsin Public Radio.

 
COVID-19 Resources:

Wisconsin COVID-19 Hub

 

Wisconsin DHS' COVID-19 Page

 

CDC COVID-19 Page

 

COVID-19 and Unemployment  

Contact Me:

Phone: (608) 266-0634

Toll-Free: (888) 534-0066

Email: Rep.Neubauer@legis.wisconsin.gov