GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay’s city council received an update Wednesday night on the local efforts to fight coronavirus, as well as the latest information on next week’s election. The council met through video conference.
Green Bay Metro Fire Chief David Litton told the council he believes the county is in a good spot, but more needs to be done if things get worse.
Litton says models are showing our area will see the worst of coronavirus in 1 1/2 to 2 weeks.
The county has received two shipments from the national stockpile for personal protective equipment. Litton says it puts the county in good shape for now, but more supplies would be needed if there is a surge.
In the past 2 weeks, Litton says Green Bay ambulances have transported 45 people showing coronavirus symptoms, which is problematic for first responders.
“At the time our paramedics are having that contact with the patients they don’t know. We don’t know sometimes for a week, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven days before we actually get test results back through the system..They’re kind of doing a self-check to make sure if they come up with any of the symptoms they report them, and we immediately put them into quarantine. Just because if we have a major breakout in any of our fire stations or in the police ranks you could wipe out half of our departments in no time.”
Also, you might remember a few weeks back Chief Litton reported 14 emergency responders were quarantined because they traveled to coronavirus hot spots. He says that number is now down to two and he hopes both will be out of isolation by the end of the week.
As for Tuesday’s Presidential Primary, it’s unclear whether many municipalties, including Green Bay, will be ready. Mayor Eric Genrich says the city is doing what it can to prepare.
Green Bay started with 270 poll workers for this election. It is now down to 17, according to Genrich.
People who haven’t been poll workers in the past have come forward to do the job amid the shortage. However, Genrich says they’d need to be trained, providing another thing for the overworked clerk’s office to deal with.
As he has been for a couple weeks, Genrich stressed again to the council that people should vote through absentee ballot.
“I have never been in the position before of asking people to not show up on election day and vote, but that is where we sit. I’m encouraging each and every person to vote by mail and to avoid coming in person.”
Genrich says there are currently 7,000 requests for absentee ballots that the city still need to fulfill. It’s unclear whether the city has that many ballots on hand right now to send out.
The mayor did tell FOX 11 over the weekend the city doesn’t have enough to send one to every registered voter like Governor Tony Evers has requested statewide.
