COVID-19 UPDATES FOR COUNTY OFFICIALS

As issues continue to develop and change at a quick rate with COVID-19, the Coronavirus, we at the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) are working alongside Governor Tony Evers, the Administration, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and our general counsel, Attolles Law, s.c., to provide the latest resources and updates to assist county officials during this unprecedented time.

COVID-19 Daily Update: 5.14.2020

May 14, 2020

COVID-19 DAILY HEALTH UPDATE
(Information from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) current as of 1:00 p.m. Central, Thursday, May 14, 2020)

  • Total people with negative results: 122,598 (+5,487)
  • Total people with positive results: 11,275 (+373)
  • Hospitalizations: 1,939 (+31) or 17%
  • Total deaths: 434 (+13)

SUPREME COURT RULING IN WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE V. PALM: CONSIDERATIONS FOR COUNTIES
Yesterday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in Wisconsin Legislature v. Palm has resulted in uncertainty surrounding the public response to COVID-19. While WCA and legal counsel are continuing to assess the decision and its affect on state and county authority, counties are encouraged to immediately begin considering the following:

REGIONAL COORDINATIONCounties are encouraged to communicate and, to the extent possible, coordinate local public health efforts and other COVID-19 activities with neighboring counties. Regional consistency of local health orders, guidelines, and enforcement provides certainty for the public and businesses. As we know, COVID-19 is not confined to county boundaries. Regional approaches to COVID-19 will lead to more productive outcomes than counties acting in isolation. WCA encourages counties to schedule regular communication with regional neighbors to consider and share COVID-19 strategies.  

GUIDELINES FOR BUSINESS REOPENINGCounties are encouraged to review and consider guidelines for business reopening. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has developed industry specific documents for business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic that counties should consider. The guidelines were developed in consultation with state agencies, including the Department of Health Services, Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Department of Safety and Professional Services, and Department of Tourism. General and industry specific WEDC guidance can be found here.

MONITORING HEALTH AND HOSPITAL DATACounties are encouraged to be in regular communication with local hospitals and health systems. The Wisconsin Hospital Association has provided a useful online tool that shows daily updates on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, ICU capacity and ventilator availability by HERC (Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition) regions. This data is intentionally reported by HERC region as the sharing of information and resources for emergency response already occur within these regions. We encourage you to utilize this information and also communicate directly with hospitals and health systems to understand how COVID-19 is impacting their facilities, staff and resources. It is also important to remember that hospital and health systems were not impacted by the Safer at Home order established under Emergency Order #28, as they were considered an essential business and allowed to continue operating. Wisconsin counties have an important local government function to provide community surveillance testing and tracing for Wisconsin residents.

We encourage counties to work with the WCA and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to create additional COVID-19 community surveillance testing and tracing capacity at the local government level.

WISCONSIN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMORANDUM: TABLE OF EXECUTIVE AND EMERGENCY ORDERS RELATED TO COVID-19
Governor Evers and his administration have taken numerous actions in response to the COVID19 pandemic.

This May 12, 2020 information memorandum from the Wisconsin Legislative Council provides a table outlining information on each of the executive and emergency orders that have been issued by Governor Evers and Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-Designee Palm in response to the COVID-19 outbreak as of the date of this publication.

For each executive and emergency order, the table identifies the official who issued the order, the authority cited by the official issuing the order, the expiration date provided by the terms of the order, and the current status of the order.

BAKER TILLY INTRODUCES R3: A ROADMAP TO REOPEN, RECOVER AND RESET
In an effort to help state and local governments (including school districts and utilities) prepare for and prosper during the new normal, Baker Tilly has introduced R3: A Road Map to Reopen, Recover and Reset.

R3 provides local governments and school districts with resources, best practices and solutions to help navigate their COVID-19 response so communities can thrive in a post-pandemic environment. Baker Tilly is developing new insights on a weekly basis, including podcasts, articles and valuable tools.

FEMA DAILY BRIEFING POINTS FOR COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Below please find the Thursday, May 14, 2020 FEMA Daily Briefing Points for the Whole-of-America response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

ICYMI: PPE PURCHASING OPTIONS STILL AVAILABLE FOR KN95 AND 3 PLY MASKS
We have received information from WCA Services, Inc. associate member Omnia Partners that Office Depot has large quantities of KN95 and 3 ply masks currently in stock in Chicago distribution centers. 

Below please find a flyer regarding the masks, with changes including steady flow for regular consumption or large one-time orders. Quotes will be held for five business days.

About Omnia Partners
U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance and National IPA have integrated and rebranded as OMNIA Partners: Public Sector, making it the nation’s most experienced cooperative purchasing organization serving state and local government, K-12 education and higher education institutions.

For More Information
Tom Ford
Regional Manager, Midwest
847.372.3381