COVID-19 UPDATE: Burnett County Issues Community Awareness Alert

News Release

On May 29-May 31, 2020, a large community event was held at the Siren Ballpark. The Burnett County COVID-19 Response Team is aware of three attendees of this event who have tested positive for COVID-19. Per Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Burnett County Public Health has been in contact with the event organizers. The organizers have been asked to provide notice and alert all attendees to their potential exposure and instruct those individuals to monitor for any symptoms. We appreciate the quick response and cooperation we have received from the event hosts.

The Safer at Home order is gone; the virus is not. The Burnett County COVID-19 Response Team continues to promote and support the guidance and recommendation of the Department of Health Services. Based upon statewide data, gatherings of 10 or more individuals is not recommended at this time. Public health experts agree that large gatherings of people in sustained, close contact greatly increases the risk for spread of the virus among those who attend the events and to the communities these individuals return to after the event. The communal nature of such events makes it especially challenging to accommodate the physical distancing and sanitation recommendations required to slow the spread of disease. This includes but is not limited to fairs, festivals, parades, and conferences.

Everyone can do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Please remember:

• Stay home. Avoid social gatherings with anyone other than people who live in your home (no playdates, dinner parties, sleepovers, large family dinners, individual visitors)
• People should not be traveling except to go to the grocery store, the doctor, to pick up necessary items or go to and from work. If you must go out, practice physical distancing from others, staying six (6) feet apart.
• Wash your hands with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough/sneeze.
• Avoid touching your face.
• If you get sick, call your hospital/doctor before going in.

Burnett County Public Health and the Burnett County COVID-19 Response Team are ready to handle positive cases of COVID-19. We will continue to work with Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Centers for Disease Control, and our local partners to make sure our community remains safe and healthy.