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Local nurse apologizes after TMJ4 News interview inside West Allis bar

Posted at 6:16 PM, May 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-15 23:37:25-04

A local Advocate Aurora Health nurse has released a statement expressing regret after an interview with TMJ4 News in a West Allis bar Wednesday night.

The nurse, identified as Katie Koutsky, was interviewed by TMJ4 after crowds of people gathered at local bars hours after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state's Safer at Home order.

"While my priority was to support my sister and her attempt to restart her business which has been devastated by this pandemic, I’d like to express my regret for not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing while there. It was a lapse in judgment on my part to not ensure I had my mask prior to leaving my house and to not maintain social distancing – even during the interview requested by the reporter," Katie Koutsky said in a statement.

"As a nurse, I understand the fear and uncertainty everyone is facing and how important it is to practice safety measures not only at sites of care, but while away from work. I let my guard down and apologize for making anyone feel uncomfortable or at risk. While I do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and there are no indications of exposure, out of an abundance of caution, I am voluntarily self-quarantining for the next seven days. As standard practice at my hospital, I will undergo screening before returning to work," the statement continues.

Bars rush to open after Safer at Home order is struck down

Koutsky's interview has been shared thousands of times across the country this week as Wisconsin was briefly the only state without any stay-at-home restrictions.

“I have a toddler at home and I’m a full-time nurse so it’s been very stressful and hard to not be able to go out and be with my friends and family at the bars,” Koutski said at the time.

Read the full statement below:

Statement from Katie Koutsky

Given the intense media scrutiny I have received over these last two days regarding my decision Wednesday evening to go to my sister’s bar to help her with the opening, I decided to issue a public statement. First, while my priority was to support my sister and her attempt to restart her business which has been devastated by this pandemic, I’d like to express my regret for not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing while there. It was a lapse in judgment on my part to not ensure I had my mask prior to leaving my house and to not maintain social distancing – even during the interview requested by the reporter.

As a nurse, I understand the fear and uncertainty everyone is facing and how important it is to practice safety measures not only at sites of care, but while away from work. I let my guard down and apologize for making anyone feel uncomfortable or at risk. While I do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and there are no indications of exposure, out of an abundance of caution, I am voluntarily self-quarantining for the next seven days. As standard practice at my hospital, I will undergo screening before returning to work.

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