Richland Center, WI: A virtual Emergency Operations Center meeting was held 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, December 7th the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed that in the state of Wisconsin there were 414,332 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 2,202,473 have tested negative, there were 3,738 deaths, and 18,286 hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of those that tested positive for COVID-19 in the state of Wisconsin, 4% have been hospitalized.
Emergency Operations partners have decided to offer more up-to-date local data on the condition of our county that might not match the numbers offered by the State. Public Health Manager/Local Health Officer, Rose Kohout announced that as of 8:00am Tuesday, December 8th there are 924 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Richland County, 7,787 have tested negative, there are 320 active cases, and 591 individuals who had tested positive have been released from quarantine. Of those 924 individuals who tested positive, 911 individuals have been recovering at home, 45 have been hospitalized at some point, and there were 13 COVID-19 related deaths.
FREE COVID-19 community testing events continue in Richland County. The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Richland continues to offer FREE COVID-19 testing events on WEDNESDAYS from 9am-3pm in the Classroom Building located on the Richland Center campus. All participants must register for this testing event at www.DoINeedaCOVID19Test.com. Drive-thru community testing events are offered weekly on MONDAYS from 9am-Noon (or until all tests are administered) at the Richland County Fairgrounds. The FINAL THURSDAY event will be held this week on December 10th from 9am-4pm at the Richland County Fairgrounds. Appointments are not required, but it is requested that those who wish to be tested pre-register at https://register.covidconnect.wi.gov. Tests will be available on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE basis. The FREE COVID-19 Testing schedule for events offered in Richland County are as follows (this schedule is subject to change):
| Wednesday, December 9th | 9am-3pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
| Thursday, December 10th | 9am-4pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | WI National Guard Event |
| Monday, December 14th | 9am-Noon | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
| Wednesday, December 16th | 9am-3pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
| Monday, December 21st | 9am-Noon | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
Richland County residents are encouraged to sign-up for NIXLE alerts by texting 53581 to 888777 or go to www.nixle.com to sign-up to receive emails. You will then receive up-to-date alerts regarding local COVID testing sites and clinics, severe weather, public safety, criminal activities, missing persons, traffic issues, and local events.
The Richland County Events on MONDAYS are only for Richland County residents who meet specific testing criteria. The UW-Platteville Richland Events on WEDNESDAYS are open to area residents (age 5 and older), participants do not need to be students or employees of the University, and there are no eligibility criteria for testing. The WI National Guard Events on THURSDAYS are open to Richland County residents and those in our surrounding communities (age 5 and older) who are experiencing one or more symptoms of COVID-19 and for asymptomatic individuals per Public Health recommendations.
The Richland Hospital continues to offer COVID-19 drive-thru testing from 11 am to 4 pm Monday thru Friday for hospital & clinic patients displaying COVID-19 symptoms or to those that have a confirmed exposure. All persons requesting testing will need to call the Richland Hospital and be registered BEFORE arriving at the drive-thru. The Richland Hospital Clinic campus continues to offer voluntary medical procedures and Primary Care visits, while also continuing to offer Tele-Health patient visits. Richland Hospital Clinic patients needing hands-on medical care for any COVID-19 symptoms should call the hospital main number (608) 647-6321 or clinic main number (608) 647-6161 BEFORE coming to the facility.
Individuals who have been tested for COVID-19 WILL receive their results from a testing site or healthcare provider. However, due to record high numbers of COVID-19 cases, Public Health has reached capacity and may not call you to complete a contact tracing investigation. For this reason, we ask that any newly diagnosed person with COVID-19 begin to isolate themselves immediately and go to the Richland County COVID-19 webpage at https://covid.co.richland.wi.us/if-you-are-sick-or-have-been-exposed/ in order to receive isolation and contact tracing notification guidance.
Richland School District Administrator, Jarred Burke reported that their school board voted last night to return to face-to-face instruction this Thursday, December 10th; however, virtual learning on Wednesdays will continue. After their regularly scheduled holiday break, the Richland School District will transition back to all virtual learning on January 4, 2021 with an anticipated return to face-to-face instruction on January 11, 2021. The Ithaca School District is scheduled to continue virtual learning until January 4, 2021, and continues to offer face-to-face classes to small groups of students with a specific need. Staffing levels in both school districts continue to be closely monitored and additional school board meetings will be held, which could result in the transition of learning methods.
Richland County Community Partners shared the status of their individual organization’s emergency response, reviewed staffing levels and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) inventory, and discussed priority topics to assist with preventing the further transmission of COVID-19 in our community.
Citizens are encouraged to check out the Richland County COVID-19 Dashboard which offers helpful data to better understand the impact of the pandemic globally and locally: https://covid.co.richland.wi.us/2020/04/21/richland-county-covid-19-dashboard/. 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
- The Greater Richland Area Chamber of Commerce: www.gorcchamber.com
- 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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