MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee city officials met with representatives from local hospital systems to discuss preparations for the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
Mayor Tom Barrett said "you are seeing a unified effort from the healthcare providers in this community, to come together to deal with this pandemic... this is all about preparation right now."
Barrett said the 90-minute meeting was the first time all of these leaders were together to discuss the response to coronavirus.
While there are no positive cases of COVID-19, the mayor believes after talking to the healthcare experts there will be.
"I am convinced we are going to get not just one case, but we are going to get many cases here."
When those cases arrive, Barrett hopes the expanded testing for the virus and preparations now will ease the burden on the system.
"This is about making sure we do not overwhelm our emergency rooms," said Barrett.
The group will meet weekly during the crisis. The next meeting will be done via teleconference.