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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Tuesday reported 964 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily total during the pandemic.
Wisconsin continues to set new marks for cases due to community spread — not because of expanded testing, state officials said.
“These numbers are not the result of more testing. In fact, on Saturday we saw more positive cases than we saw on Thursday, even though we tested half as many people,” Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. “These numbers are the result of significant community spread here in Wisconsin.”
The percentage of coronavirus tests returning positive has climbed since mid-June, with 7.1% of Tuesday’s reported tests returning positive.
Mitchell Schmidt has the full report for the State Journal.
Top Stories
DHS officials say growth in COVID-19 cases due to ‘significant community spread,’ not increased testing — Wisconsin State Journal
Trump administration drops rule barring foreign students from taking online-only classes — USA Today
Businesses adapt as Dane County mask order takes effect — Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin added to New York, New Jersey quarantine travel advisory — WTMJ-TV
MPS plan for bringing students and teachers back to classrooms would start school year with virtual learning, cost $90 million — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Johnson opposes ‘even a dime more’ in economic stimulus until issues addressed — WPR
Green Bay committee fails to take action on face mask requirement — Green Bay Press Gazette
Burlington district board votes to begin year with a hybrid model, facial coverings for all — The Journal Times
Outbreak of COVID-19 at Necedah Area School District — Juneau County Star-Times
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Government updates
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
U.S. Centers and Disease Control and Prevention
Quotable
“I have lost complete faith in the state and country and only hope that I am able to receive my back pay promptly, so that I can pay off the debts I am beginning to accrue.”
Mitch Roberts of Caledonia, speaking to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about his frustration with staffers at Department of Workforce Development’s overwhelmed call centers who are unable to answer questions about his claim for jobless benefits during the pandemic
“This virus had total control of my body and who I was as a person when I had it, and I think the restrictions the virus has put on this great nation are similar. I think that this virus is going to make us or break us as a nation. Let’s take this seriously for what it is.”
Rebecca Quesada, a 65-year-old ESL support teacher, speaking to Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service about her experience with COVID-19
Data to note
Some 62,000 Wisconsin workers lost their health insurance due to job loss between February and May, leaving a total of 343,000 adults under age 65 in Wisconsin — about 10% — uninsured during the pandemic, according to a study released Tuesday by Families USA, a nonpartisan consumer advocacy group.
That represents a 22% surge in uninsured Wisconsinites compared to 2018, according to the study.
Nearly 5.4 million laid-off workers nationwide lost insurance during the same period, representing a 21% increase since 2018, the study said.
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Here are the latest visualizations of COVID-19 cases and deaths from our partners at WisContext.
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People helping others and showing resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media — @wisconsinwatch — or emailing us: tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Drive-thru job fair takes place in communities around Wisconsin Friday — WPR
SSM Health St. Mary’s Janesville volunteers recognized for service — Beloit Daily News
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