New Year’s Eve plea
Milwaukee health officials urge people to celebrate at home this year.
The pandemic has not changed the ability of revelers to ring in the new year — and then stay all night — at establishments across the city.
It’s a reality that has Milwaukee’s top health official feeling a bit uneasy.
Milwaukee’s current order aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 does not limit the hours bars and restaurants can be open, but rather focuses on mitigation measures, said Interim Health Commissioner Marlaina Jackson.
The current order, which includes stricter rules that ease two weeks after New Year’s Day, limits bars and restaurants with Health Department-approved COVID-19 safety plans to the lesser of 50% of their total capacity or the limits in their safety plans. Establishments without safety plans remain at 25% capacity.
Jackson said the mitigation steps required in the safety plans are “one layer of protection” even if an establishment will be open all night.
But, she said, “We are overall concerned about any celebrations where anyone is outside of their home.”
She and other city officials urged residents to stay home over the holidays, saying the case numbers remain concerning.
As of a Tuesday afternoon update, the city was approaching a total of 53,000 cases since March 1 and had seen 465 deaths.
Jackson said her department was working with the Milwaukee Police Department and “looking at some other opportunities” related to enforcement of the orders on New Year’s Eve.
City officials announced last month that city health inspectors responding to complaints about COVID-19 safety violations would be escorted by police officers after the department received a death threat following enforcement action at a rally held by supporters of President Donald Trump at Serb Hall. At the rally, city officials said, inspectors were pushed and harassed.
Enforcement will take place on New Year’s Eve based on complaints, not through spot checks, she said.
“That’s something we’re continuing to work through from a scheduling perspective, and that is why we are doing all of our enforcement right now based off of those complaints,” Jackson said.
The goal will be to respond to complaints overnight, she said.
In an email, Police Department Chief of Staff Nick DeSiato said the department would perform business checks.
“The Milwaukee Police Department will continue to perform business checks, as it would on any New Year’s Eve, to ensure that establishments are operating lawfully and safely,” he said. “We remain a committed partner to all city departments, including the Milwaukee Health Department, when we have the resources available to assist them.”