07/15/2020- Marinette County officials are responding to the recent spike in confirmed local cases of COVID-19. The number of coronavirus cases in the county has now topped 120 and there’s talks again that the upward trend could threaten to overload the healthcare system. Marinette County Public Health Officer Molly Bonjean attributes the increase to declining participation in preventative activities like social distancing, wearing face coverings, and avoiding large gatherings. Monday alone saw 22 new cases and the current totals are a 50% increase over last Friday’s figures.

The rise in COVID-19 numbers isn’t just happening in Marinette County, but in several counties across the state. Some local governments are now opting to enact their own masking mandates to help curb the spread, but Marinette County Emergency Management Administrator Eric Burmesiter says a county-level directive here is unlikely.

Marinette County’s first positive case of COVID-19 was reported on March 26th and three Marinette County residents have died from the virus. Information from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services indicates the county is considered to have a high COVID-19 activity level and lists the burden of COVID-19 on the county in the moderately high category.