Door County Public Health has announced that effective Friday July 24th they are issuing an emergency advisory which stipulates that everyone 5 years and older wear a face covering or mask when in public. It says people should properly wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth at all times when in public spaces. This includes businesses of any kind, retail, grocery, restaurants, bars, gas stations, health care settings, and public transportation. Individuals are advised to wear face coverings when in someone else’s home when you are not of the same household. Children ages 2 through 4 are highly encouraged to wear masks in public, while 5 and older are advised to wear masks. Everyone should maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet between yourself and other people who are not members of your household unit. In-person events and gatherings are considered high-risk and should be avoided. And as before, everyone should frequently wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and use hand sanitizer. Of course, stay home if you are sick, even with mild symptoms, and if you have symptoms you should get tested. As Door County Public Health states, we do not take this advisory lightly. Scientific evidence shows that masks play an important role in reducing the spread of COVID-19. This is a critical time for Door County with a notable increase in COVID-19 activity in the past few weeks. Door County now ranks as having a high activity level of COVID-19. The increasing numbers of confirmed cases in Door County and across the state of Wisconsin, as well as the multitude of visitors coming to our area, make it imperative that we all wear a face covering in public. Door County Public Health goes on to say this advisory should not be used as justification to harass or harm another person who is either wearing or not wearing a face covering. This advisory will remain in effect until further notice.
