A Message From St. Croix County Public Health About Governor Evers’ Statewide Face Covering Requirement
From Kelli Engen, Public Health Administrator
Since Governor Evers issued an Executive Order declaring a public health emergency requiring face coverings statewide starting August 1, we’ve been in discussions with local leadership, the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office, and the District Attorney’s Office to figure out what this means for you and our county. We are asking for your voluntary compliance with Governor Evers’ Order. We all want our community to stay healthy, our businesses to thrive, and to get back to a sense of normalcy. You play the most important role in helping us all achieve these goals. By wearing a face covering and following the recommendations in our Health Advisory, together we can get back to a sense of normal. None of us enjoy wearing a face covering and some of us have legitimate medical reasons that prevent us from wearing them. We are simply asking that all who can wear a face covering, please do so. To all who cannot wear a face covering due to medical reasons or a disability, please take other precautions to protect yourself and those around you, starting by maintaining a 6-foot distance from others when possible. If you see someone not wearing a face covering, please be respectful and avoid any confrontation. We want everyone to be healthy and feel safe. With the Governor’s order in place, we strongly encourage you follow these recommendations to support the health and wellbeing of our entire community:
• Wear a face covering if you are indoors with others. You do NOT have to wear a face covering if: you are eating, drinking, or swimming; you have a medical condition or disability that prevents you from safely wearing a face covering. Children under 2 years of age should NOT wear a face covering.
• If you see someone not wearing a face covering, be kind and keep a 6-foot distance. If you have a concern or compliment about how we are all complying with the Governor’s order, you can share it with us by filling out this form on the St. Croix County website.
• Businesses have the right to require face coverings upon entry to their business. Please respect the decisions of all businesses in our community. Businesses can turn to law enforcement to resolve incidents that involve disorderly conduct.
• Follow the rest of the recommendations in our Health Advisory.
This pandemic will have forever changed us. It will change how we view and respond to communicable diseases as public health,healthcare professionals,and residents. We continue to learn from past pandemics, however there is a lot we still don’t know about COVID-19. We have an uphill battle in fighting this disease, but it is one that we as a community can overcome, if we come together. We will continue to keep you informed through the COVID-19 section on the St. Croix County website. Thank you and stay healthy!
