Churches open, attendees adjust
State’s confirmed cases rise by 356 on Sunday
Gray skies and steady rain didn’t dampen the spirits of congregations around Wisconsin on Sunday as they gathered for the first time in two months after the state Supreme Court removed restrictions put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“When I last stood here, I believe it was March 8, a Sunday morning, we had a very normal worship service that day,” said Dave Marriott, lead pastor at Lakewood Baptist Church in Pewaukee. “I never thought for a moment that it would be two solid months until we gathered again.”
For the last two months, the church has livestreamed services and shared video devotions on the internet.
“It is truly a joy to see your faces, which are much preferred to that camera lens, though I am thankful for that camera lens back there that is allowing us to connect to the rest of our church family as well,” he said.
The camera lens the pastor was referring to was recording the 10:30 a.m. service for those who did not want to come in person as the number of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin continues to rise.
“There simply will not be a one-sizefits-all approach in this situation,” Marriott said. “Some individuals will feel comfortable going right back to church and will wonder why all the guidelines. Others are going to be a little bit more cautious.”
After the court overturned Gov. Tony Evers’ extension of his stay-at-home order, many communities were left without any legal guidance to enforce social distancing or other measures.
Individual churches such as Lakewood decided to make their own adjustments. It had six services, and worshippers had to register ahead of time, with only 50 people allowed to attend each service.
Everyone sat in a set of chairs with people in their own family or household, distanced from other worshippers.
Places of worship in Milwaukee County were not allowed to reopen due to measures county government put in place. A handful of other counties also decided to keep local rules in effect.
And some places of worship that could have opened decided not to, such as Elmbrook Church, which has locations in Brookfield and Lake Country.
State reports 356 new COVID-19 cases
On the same day churches began opening their doors, the state Department of Health Services reported 356 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The new cases bring the statewide total to 12,543, with 453 deaths. The state reported no new deaths Sunday.
More than 139,670 people have tested negative for the virus.
As of Sunday afternoon, 364 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wisconsin. In addition, 184 inpatients are awaiting test results, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 131 are in the intensive care unit.
Langlade and Taylor counties remain the only counties with no confirmed cases, according to DHS.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee County reported 4,943 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Sunday. The number of cases is up nearly 150 from what the county reported Saturday and almost 1,000 since last Sunday, when 3,954 were reported.
The higher numbers, in part, are a result of increased testing by the Wisconsin National Guard that began on Monday with 2,000 people tested the first day.
The county reported that overall 30,418 people had been tested.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office reported two COVID-19related deaths Saturday night; one person who had COVID-19 died of a stroke early Sunday.
The people who died were ages 75, 78 and 83. Two people were Asian or Pacific Islander and the other person was white.
The intensive care units in Milwaukee County were at 61% capacity Sunday morning. Ten percent of those beds are occupied by patients with the coronavirus.
The Milwaukee Health Department announced new hours for the two free National Guard COVID-19 testing sites in the city.
The sites will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There will be no testing available at the sites on Sundays.
There are two sites: Midtown Center at 5825 W. Hope Ave. and UMOS at 2701 S. Chase Ave.
Residents are reminded to call 211 for any questions or concerns related to COVID-19.
Evers: Virtual DNC “smartest way”
Gov. Tony Evers is the latest politician to say that the Democratic National Convention might need to be held virtually this summer.
Evers appeared on Madison’s WKOW-TV Sunday and said a virtual DNC would be the “smartest way.”
“I think it could happen. It’s just my observation it would be a virtual event,” Evers said.
Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden said in early April that the DNC “may have to do a virtual” convention.
The DNC was moved from July to August in hopes that a later start date would be possible because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The event was supposed to be held July 13-16 and attract 50,000 people.
Evers, meantime, said on WISN-TV’s “Up Front” show that Wisconsin residents should not expect a “grand bargain” between his administration and the Republican-controlled Legislature.