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Wisconsin 'in the red zone' for COVID-19 cases, White House task force report says

Election 2020 Trump
Posted at 11:33 AM, Sep 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-30 23:28:33-04

WISCONSIN — The White House Coronavirus Task Force is urging Wisconsinites to social distance "to the maximal degree possible" as President Donald Trump plans two rallies in the state for this weekend.

A draft report from the task force obtained by CNN this week says Wisconsin is "in the red zone" when it comes to cases, with 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population last week, the 3rd highest rate in the country.

"To the maximal degree possible, increase social distancing mitigation measures until cases decline, including through supporting local authorities to pass and enforce mitigation measures," a recommendation in the report reads.

President Trump will be attending two back-to-back rallies in Wisconsin this weekend, one in Green Bay and one in La Crosse.

The report also said Wisconsin has a test positivity rate between 8% and 10%, the seventh highest in the country.

Milwaukee County, Dane County, and Brown County had the highest number of new cases over the last 3 weeks, and they represent 31.7% of all cases in Wisconsin.

There are also 12 cities in the red zone, according to the report, including the two cities the president plans on visiting. Those cities are:

  • Green Bay
  • Appleton
  • Oshkosh-Neenah
  • La Crosse-Onalaska
  • Fond du Lac
  • Stevens Point
  • Wausau-Weston
  • Manitowoc
  • Shawano
  • Watertown-Fort Atkinson
  • Menomonie
  • Marinette

During Tuesday's debate, President Trump defended the crowds at his rallies saying “People want to hear what I have to say.”

“So far, we have had no problem whatsoever. It’s outside that’s a big difference, according to the experts, and we do them outside. We have tremendous crowds,” Trump said.

Following the president's comments, former Vice President Joe Biden called President Trump “totally irresponsible” addressed the American people by saying “He never worried about you. He’s not worried about the people out there breathing.”

You can read the full report on Wisconsin from the White House Task Force below:

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Coronavirus in Wisconsin

More data on Wisconsin's vaccination progress here.

Find a vaccination site here.

Check out county-by-county coronavirus case numbers here.

More information: COVID-19 on the Wisconsin DHS website

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