Federal government assistance for paid time off due to COVID-19 has ended, but some employers accommodate ailing workers amid a lingering labor shortage
Tag: covid-19
Posted inEconomy, Money & Politics
Will the end of pandemic-related unemployment benefits ease Wisconsin’s worker shortage?
This $300 a week in enhanced benefits has been a lifeline for many left jobless by COVID-19, but it has become the source of a hot partisan debate.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Welfare
FEMA offers generous funeral aid to those grieving COVID-19 deaths. Getting it isn’t easy.
Applicants complain of confusing bureaucracy and long waits as the agency handles thousands of applications over the phone. A Milwaukee woman details her struggle to connect.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Wisconsin Watch halts COVID-19 Update newsletter, for now — 6/14/21
Today we lead with a programming note: This is Wisconsin Watch’s last daily COVID-19 Update, at least for now. As increased vaccinations allow more Wisconsinites to emerge from more than a year of isolation, fewer people are seeking daily updates on COVID-19’s casualties and how to navigate pandemic life.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
High court strikes down Dane County school-closing order — 6/11/21
The Wisconsin State Journal’s Chris Rickert reports on the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision Friday that overturned a Dane County health order that closed schools to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Report: Wisconsin schools could lose $2.3 billion in pandemic funds under Republican budget -— 6/10/21
Wisconsin’s K-12 schools could lose out on $2.3 billion in pandemic stimulus funds unless Republican budget writers allocate more state funds directly to education, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Some less-vaccinated U.S. communities see COVID-19 hospitalization rates soar — 6/9/21
COVID-19 infections are dwindling across much of the United States — including Wisconsin, but highly contagious variants of the virus continue to spread in pockets of the country with low vaccination rates
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Wisconsin prisons to resume in-person visits beginning July 6 — 6/8/21
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections on Monday announced plans to reinstate in-person visits for prisoners following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In-person visits will resume July 6, with precautions taken, the agency said in a press release.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Study: Coronavirus doesn’t threaten nation’s blood supply — 6/7/21
The novel coronavirus does not appear to threaten the nation’s blood supply — as long as standard screening protocols are followed, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Milwaukee group uses language, culture to reach the vaccine hesitant — 6/4/21
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Sophie Carson reports on one of the innovative strategies being rolled out across Wisconsin to boost immunization against COVID-19. Carson reports that the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition has received a $48,000 state grant to hire a group of eight Muslim students to communicate with vaccine-hesitant Muslims in their native languages, including Arabic, Somali, Rohingya and Urdu.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
Wisconsin child care centers struggle as economy reopens — 6/3/21
Today we feature a story by WPR’s Shamane Mills, who reports that while many people are returning to work, child care remains scarce — and the industry is in trouble. Mills tells the story of Silke O’Donnell, who closed her Madison day care center after 27 years. “Last year was just so mentally stressful,” O’Donnell said. “I just made the decision that I’m going to quit a couple years early.” Mills reports that thousands of day care centers across the country have closed due to rising costs and falling enrollment during the pandemic, including many in Wisconsin.
Posted inWisconsin COVID-19 Update
A Wisconsin teacher reflects on her pandemic experience — 6/2/21
La Crosse teacher Julie Welch, one of the residents featured in the WPR/Wisconsin Watch series Outbreak Wisconsin, says the pandemic has been a mixed experience. She missed seeing and hugging her children and gathering with family and friends to mourn the sudden passing of her father-in-law in March. But there were some good things, too. “I’ve spent so much more time this year being reflective, being alone, being quiet, and it’s been good,” Welch said.