Local Covid-19 cases near ‘critical’ stage

The number of Covid-19 cases in the Fredonia area has spiked in recent days, bringing the area close to the “critical” stage, while the number of cases overall in Ozaukee County have dropped.

As of Tuesday, the number of cases in the Fredonia area totaled 36, which represents  a “burden” of 327.7 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period, according to the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department website. 

That was down from a high of 348.2 cases per 100,000 on both Aug. 20 and Aug. 24, but a drastic jump from mid-August, when the burden was 163.9 cases per 100,000 and the end of July when there were 102.4 cases per 100,000, according to the website. For the first half of July, no cases were reported.

Health department officials blamed the spike on “large gatherings,” such as weddings and family parties, but could not pinpoint the increase to any particular events.

The area has had several large public events in recent weeks.

Ozaukee High School held a graduation ceremony July 26 on the school football field and a prom Aug. 7 in Belgium, where cases also have spiked to 31, more than 300 per 100,000.

In addition, the Village of Fredonia sponsored a movie night June 27 on the lawn at Village Hall and a music night and beer garden at Freedom Park on July 18.

Each event drew about 100 people.

In addition, there have been several large events at local bars in Waubeka and Fredonia in recent weeks.

Last week, a resident wrote to the Village Board asking that future events be postponed for health reasons, citing the recent spike in cases. But the request was rejected out of hand.

“My feeling is we should continue with our plans,” Village President Don Dohrwardt said.

“Nobody’s making them come,” Trustee Dan Gehrke said.

No vote was taken.

The public health department says a rate of 350 cases per 100,000 people puts the area in the “critical” category. 

Under those conditions, the health department recommends schools go to 100% remote learning, conceding that “decisions about learning models should not be based solely on this data,” according to a “Covid-19 decision-making framework for schools” released by the health department last week.

The Northern Ozaukee School District is slated to open its doors on Sept. 1 for the fall semester and conduct in-person schooling five days a week, offering a remote option for families that desire it.

Officials have said about 10% of families have opted to attend classes remotely.

NOSD Supt. Dave Karrels said Tuesday there are no plans to alter the district’s decision to hold in-person school. 

“In a community of 2,000 people, one family (testing positive) can skew the numbers,” he said.

“Over the last four weeks, we have not had any cases among school-age children brought to our attention,” Karrels said, adding that the district has also not been contacted by the health department about tracing any cases.

“If this data point is hit, we need to look at it over a period of time and not just make a sudden decision. We would review it at that time.”