March 2, 2021
The Rock County Public Health Department moves into Phase 2 of the county’s reopening plan.
Interim health officer Michelle Bailey said the decision is a response to improvements in the local spread of COVID-19.
The shift into Phase 2 allows restaurants, bars, retailers and other indoor businesses to operate at 50 percent capacity instead of 25 percent, so long as social distancing requirements can still be met.
The health department still recommends the same safety protocols, including the ongoing mask mandate, but the move reflects the success of public health efforts.
Rock County is currently seeing its lowest average number of new cases per day since August of 2020. COVID-19 hospitalizations have also dropped dramatically.
Rock County moves to Phase 2 reopening guidelines, allows 50% indoor capacity
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Food supply chain workers.
Congregate living facility staff and residents.
The Rock County Public Health Department has opened up an online registration form for people in the March 1 eligibility groups. Health department officials will help link people on the list to vaccine providers, including the stateâs community vaccine clinic at Blackhawk Technical College.
The registration form can be found at the health departmentâs website, co.rock.wi.us/publichealth.
Those who are eligible and looking for a vaccine provider can use a new online tool from the state Department of Health Services: a state map pinpointing specific providers by address and how broadly accessible the vaccinatorâs supply is.
JANESVILLE
Plans for a new summer fundraising event at the Rock County 4-H Fairgrounds are underway, but organizers say it will not replace the groundsâ main attraction.
The Rock County 4-H Fair Board is planning a food truck festival called Rock the Grounds for early July in an effort to recoup financial losses from the cancellation of the 2020 fair.
And fried-food lovers, 4-H supporters and amusement ride enthusiasts have reason to rejoice: The board intends to hold the annual Rock County 4-H Fair this year, said Ryan George, fair board president.
âWe will have a fair as close to what we are used to having as we possibly can,â George said.
COVID-19 still could affect health care staffing as the pandemic rolls on, but a mostly vaccinated workforce has eased concerns, a Mercyhealth official said.
Although many frontline workers at Mercyhealth have opted to be vaccinated, safety precautions remain because of unknowns surrounding the coronavirus, including whether vaccinated people can pass on the virus to others, said Mark Goelzer, Mercyhealth medical director.
Globally, health care workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic, tending to patients who are severely ill or who have died alone because of the disease.
Frontline workers were prioritized to receive vaccine in Wisconsin to preserve a medical system that has been stressed for nearly a year, especially during a case surge in November that prompted the state to create a field hospital in West Allis.
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