Evers allows more businesses to open

Gov. Tony Evers announced a “turn of the dial” Monday, authorizing several new nonessential businesses to reopen.

Evers said that dog groomers, small engine repair shops and other businesses that can offer curbside drop-off options can re-open, as can outdoor recreational rentals and car washes.

Evers said he believes these are “one-off issues” where contact is limited.

“There are enough control factors involved that we believe it’s a safe expansion going forward,” he said.

The new order goes into effect at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, state officials reported 170 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total to 6,081. There have now been 281 deaths, an increase of nine from Sunday. There have been 61,311 negative test results.

Hospital emergency rooms are seeing a slight downward trend in visits for COVID-19 and influenza symptoms, according to Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm.

But she said the changes are not statistically significant enough to get the green light on a dashboard launched Friday marking the state’s progress toward meeting Evers’ benchmarks for reopening the state’s economy.

Palm said positive cases as a percentage of total tests continue to rise, and Evers noted that the state saw its highest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases over the weekend.

Palm said that DHS is working with hospitals to develop methods to measure hospital capacity, which is another benchmark in Evers’ Badger Bounce Back plan.

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