Richland Center, WI: A virtual Emergency Operations Center meeting was held again this morning to share information between Richland County officials and community partners in a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Health Manager/Local Health Officer Rose Kohout announced that as of 2:00pm Monday, March 23rd the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed that in the state of Wisconsin there were 416 confirmed cases for COVID-19, 7,050 have tested negative, and there were 5 deaths related to COVID-19. There is no confirmed case of COVID-19 within Richland County at this time.
The Richland Hospital continues offering drive-thru testing daily from 8-11am and request that patients call their Coronavirus Hotline at (608) 604-9953 BEFORE coming to the hospital. The Richland Hospital Coronavirus Hotline is available 24 hours/day. The Richland Hospital and local skilled nursing facilities continue to monitor patients and staff for symptoms while keeping the patient population segregated.
Richland County Administrator Clinton Langreck noted that most Richland County offices are closed to the public until further notice. Richland County officials are encouraging people to conduct business with county departments via phone, mail, and email when possible. Additional instructions on accessing county services and informational updates can be found on the Richland County COVID-19 website https://covid.co.richland.wi.us.
All University of Wisconsin-Platteville/Richland, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Richland School District, and Ithaca School District buildings and playgrounds remain closed to the public until further notice.
All other community partners continue to work in groups of 10 or less people and practice social distancing of six feet between people. Many local restaurants and taverns are closed, but some are offering Take-Out or curbside delivery food ordering options. Small business owners are being cautioned to watch for predatory lending scams. The Greater Richland Area Chamber of Commerce office is offering more information on their website www.gorcchamber.com.
For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, follow Richland County Health & Human Services on Facebook or consult the following websites:
- Richland County: https://covid.co.richland.wi.us
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
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