Wisconsinites brace for altered daily life amid coronavirus pandemic, fears
It looked like Black Friday at the shopping mall. But this was Saturday amid the coronavirus pandemic as Wisconsinites woke up to an America where daily life was quickly being transformed by a public health and economic crisis.
They stocked up at grocery stores, buying staples, snacks, water and toilet paper.
And with schools statewide poised to shut down — some as early as Monday and all by Wednesday — a lot of parents were in a rush to make child care arrangements.
“It’s scary, very scary,” said Jose Rosa, who along with his daughter, Angelina Mason, spent $1,000 on goods at Sam’s Club off South 27th Street in Franklin.
Early Saturday, they waited in a register line that stretched from the front of the store all the way to the back near the produce and bakery.
“You can’t shake anybody’s hand,” Rosa said. “Can’t even touch a cart really because you don’t know where the (last) person has been. I hear stuff and it makes me panic.”
Wisconsin health officials announced the confirmation of eight more positive tests — including four
in Milwaukee County — for the coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
One of Milwaukee’s coronavirus cases is a Milwaukee Public Schools employee, the school district confirmed Saturday.
The Milwaukee Health Department is still awaiting a confirmed test about the individual from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but health officials believe the presumptive results are actionable, the district said in a news release.
The total number of cases is now 27, including one person who has recovered.
“We want people to know that their government is working to protect the public health of the community,” said Raisa Koltun, chief of staff to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.
She said “this is an evolving situation. None of us can predict how it is going to play out. At the county level, we’re working with other municipalities and other non-governmental entities to make sure we have a coordinated response.”
Milwaukee County said it was closing the zoo and all of the buildings in its treasured parks system, including the Mitchell Park Domes, until further notice. Parks, trails and other outdoor amenities will remain open.
The five county-owned senior centers also will be closed Monday.
“The decision to close the Zoo was a difficult one, and a decision we did not take lightly,” Milwaukee County Zoo Director Chuck Wikenhauser said in a statement.
The closures add to the region’s sporting and cultural blackout, with the Bucks, Brewers and Badgers sidelined, music tours canceled, the Milwaukee Symphony canceled for two weekends and Milwaukee Repertory Theater going dark through April 5.
Following the lead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the entire Bucks team donated money to help Fiserv Forum workers who will be affected by the suspension of the NBA season. The Bucks matched the players’ contributions.
In Washington, D.C., Vice President Mike Pence announced the administration was extending its coronavirus-related travel ban from European countries to include Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Early Saturday, by a 363-40 margin, the House of Representatives passed a bill to provide economic relief to Americans affected by coronavirus. All four of Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen voted against the measure and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson signaled he might vote against the bill when it comes up for a vote Monday in the U.S. Senate.
The respiratory disease, now designated a global pandemic, can prompt a range of symptoms, including fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after infection, or not at all. The main way it spreads is when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes.
The virus can cause severe illness and pneumonia — especially among vulnerable populations such as seniors and those with underlying health conditions — and a vaccine is a long way off. Health experts say the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus in the first place.
Parents and students now have to deal with a new normal: No school.
For some, it means quickly arranging child care.
For others, it’s about keeping their kids occupied during the extended time off.
“I’m not freaking out about child care. But what are they going to do for the next four weeks?” said Laura Stratte, 46, whose son attends Whitefish Bay High School and daughter attends Whitefish Bay Middle School.
“I’m just thinking I’m going to make them a list of chores to do,” she said. Saturday shopping was a chore. At various outlets like Sam’s Club, Walmart, Pick ’n Save and Costco, customers were loading up on goods or staring at empty shelves where bottled water and paper goods were once stacked.
Nicholas and Amber McDowell were racing through the stores in Franklin, prepared to spend up to $600 on food and supplies.
“We don’t have a choice,” Nicholas McDowell said. “It looks like (the coronavirus) is going to keep us in the house for a while so we have to be prepared.”
At Costco in New Berlin, employees were sanitizing the carts before letting shoppers grab them.
Angela D’Alie and her sister, Jenna Zamitalo, were stocking up on “mostly essentials” like nonperishable food items, paper towels and toilet paper.
“I think a lot of people think there’s panic going on, but what I see from people at all ends is people are preparing, and it’s wise and it’s smart to do,” D’Alie said.
Katie Gray and her husband, Gary, were also impressed with how Costco was able to handle the influx of customers. “We needed toilet paper and we thought if we’re going to be cooped up for a while we’ll need meat, and so here we are with the rest of the crowd,” Katie Gray said.
The Grays were among the last people to get toilet paper and paper towels at Costco.
Shortly after they loaded their cars, a Costco employee walked to the front of the store near the entrance and held up a sign saying the store was sold out of the items.