COVID-19 community testing ramps up in western, northern Wisconsin

Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday and over the weekend a series of COVID-19 community testing events in parts of the state that lack access to tests or need additional ones due to high rates of the illness.

The State Emergency Operations Center, Department of Health Services, Wisconsin Emergency Management and Wisconsin National Guard are part of the effort.

Evers noted that Wisconsin has taken its ability to perform COVID-19 testing from zero in early March to more than 11,000 tests per day.

“But capacity is not the same as utilization, so we have some work to do to ensure everyone who needs a test is getting one and to understand the full scope of this disease around Wisconsin,” Evers said Friday.

He said the work expands his administration’s partnership with local health departments.

Evers said Friday that the National Guard was helping assist with drive-thru testing at a highway stop in Alma, as part of an effort to test residents in Buffalo and Pepin counties.

And on Sunday, Evers announced additional testing events in northwest Wisconsin.

Those sites will serve residents of Ashland, Barron, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pierce, Polk, Rusk, St. Croix, Taylor and Washburn counties as well as the St. Croix and Bad River tribes.

Last week, Milwaukee community health centers said they were ramping up community testing.

Brown County launched COVID-19 testing last week at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon for employees and families in essential industries like healthcare, long-term care and food processing.

Brown County Public Health spokeswoman Claire Paprocki told reporters Friday that employee testing at two meatpacking facilities in the area – JBS Packerland and American Foods Group – had either wrapped up or was set to finish at the end of the day. Meatpacking plants in the area have been associated with a cluster of COVID-19 cases.

Confirmed cases statewide rose over the weekend to 7,964 as of Sunday afternoon. That was an increase of 650 cases over the weekend, after the state reported its highest single-day increase on Friday.

There were 339 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, an increase of 12 from Friday.

On Friday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court announced that it’ll take up a challenge filed by the Republican-led Legislature against Gov. Tony Evers’ safer-at-home order. Oral arguments are set for Tuesday.

The Republicans are asking that the court put a temporary block on the order and require the administration to submit a plan subject to legislators’ review. The Evers’ administration says state law gives it the authority to pursue its orders.

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