COVID-19 in Wisconsin: Record-high 64 new deaths, 5,262 new cases; Evers urges self-imposed lockdown

Wisconsin health officials on Tuesday announced a new single-day record-high of 64 new deaths related to COVID-19, moving the state’s total to 1,852 deaths since the pandemic began.

A total of 206,311 positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Wisconsin, with a new single-day record-high of 5,262 new cases reported Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services also reported 220 new hospitalizations, moving the total number of hospitalizations during the pandemic to 10,636.

Full COVID-19 coverage from KSTP

As of Tuesday, DHS reports that 1,995,469 people have been tested in the state.

Gov. Tony Evers is pleading with Wisconsin residents to voluntarily stay home and limit their interactions amid the new COVID-19 records. Evers told reporters during a teleconference that he wants people to limit their interactions to their immediate family. The governor issued a stay-at-home order in March when the pandemic began but the conservative-leaning state Supreme Court struck it down. A state appeals court last week blocked another Evers order limiting the size of public indoor gatherings.

During a state briefing Tuesday, DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said the state’s surge in numbers is overwhelming contact tracers and hospitals around the state.

Palm urged Wisconsin residents not to interact with people outside of their households, to cancel social gatherings and travel and to only go out for essentials.

You can see the state’s complete COVID-19 report here.