THEY
THEY OPEN
THEY OPEN THINGS BACK UP BY HOW MUCH SHOULD THEY OPEN THEM BACK
UP ? PIERZ COUNTY, WISCONSIN,
OPEN BACK UP .
>> AND SHARON WENT TO FIND OUT
WHY . LIKE MANY COUNTIES ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY, PIERZ COUNTY
HAD ITS OWN ROUGH GO DURING THIS
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. >> THINGS WERE GOING NOT SO
WELL THIS FALL AND WINTER.
WE PEAKED WITH CASES IN IN
NOVEMBER WITH FOUR HUNDRED
AND FIFTY CASES A WEEK. THAT WAS
DEVASTATING FOR US. WE HAD
OUTBREAKS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS
LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES,
WORKPLACES. IT WAS REALLY TOUGH
AND OUR DEATHS REALLY STARTED
TO MOUNT UP AS WELL .
PIERZ COUNTY PUBLIC
HEALTH DIRECTOR SNYDER SAYS SHE
DID WHAT HAD TO BE DONE ASKING
PEOPLE TO MASK UP AND SOCIAL
DISTANCE. SHE ALSO SET OUT AN
ADVISORY TO LIMIT INDOOR
GATHERINGS TO LESS THAN 25 %
CAPACITY. IT'S BEEN IN PLACE
SINCE NOVEMBER 1ST. IT WAS AT
TWENTY FIVE % BECAUSE
OUR NUMBERS WERE STILL
INCREDIBLY HIGH AS OUR NUMBERS
STARTED TO GET BETTER
AND BETTER, WE INCREASED
THE CAPACITY LIMITS TO FIFTY %
AND WE ARE NOW LETTING
THEM EXPIRE.
THEM EXPIRE. >> SNYDER SAYS SHE CAN DESCRIBE
THIS MOVE AS ONE THAT IS
CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AND THAT
SHE KNOWS PEOPLE ARE ITCHING
TO GET TOGETHER AGAIN AS GOOD
NEWS ABOUT VACCINES HAS BEEN
COMING IN WAVES, THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT HAS ALWAYS OPERATED
ON HOPE AND OPTIMISM. SO THAT'S
WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT. WE NEED
TO KEEP PEOPLE LOOKING FORWARD
AND HOPEFUL TO A BETTER YEAR
THAN LAST YEAR. THIS IS JUST
KIND OF PART OF THAT BUILDING
RECOVERY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. NOW,
IF I THINK OUR COMMUNITY IS
IN DANGER AGAIN AND I'M SEEING
DISTURBING TRENDS OCCURRING
WITH OUR CASES, DEATHS
AND OUTBREAKS, I WON'T HESITATE
TO PUT THE BRAKES ON , EVEN TAKE
A STEP BACK IF WE HAVE TO . CAN
YOU EXPLAIN TO ME THE EMOTIONS
OF JUST BEING IN THAT POSITION
WHERE SOMETIMES SOMEBODY HAS
TO COME AND RUIN THE PARTY?
YEAH, SO I WANT THE PUBLIC
TO KNOW THAT WE DON'T TAKE THESE
DECISIONS LIGHTLY. WHEN I MADE
THE DECISION TO PUT IN A MASS
GATHERING ADVISORY A FEW MONTHS
AGO, I WAS UP ALL NIGHT FOR MANY
NIGHTS THINKING ABOUT
THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT
PEOPLE'S HEALTH ON PEOPLE'S
ABILITY TO SOCIALIZE ON OUR
LOCAL BUSINESSES. BUT WEIGHING
ALL THOSE FACTORS, IT WAS
THE RIGHT THING TO DO AT
THE TIME AND I WILL DO IT AGAIN
IF I HAVE TO GO THROUGH
THAT PROCESS. SNYDER SAYS SHE'S
PROUD THAT PIERZ COUNTY WAS ABLE
TO STICK TO ITS OWN GOAL
OF VACCINATING MORE THAN 50 %
OF ITS 65 YEAR AND OLDER
POPULATION BY MARCH 1ST.
THAT BEING SAID, SHE'S ASKING
PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO HELP OUT
BY MASKING UP AND STAYING
SOCIALLY DISTANT TO BUY SOME
MORE TIME FOR VACCINATIONS.
PEOPLE NEED TO REMEMBER
THAT YOUR PUBLIC
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARE YOUR
NEIGHBORS OR YOUR FAMILY OR YOUR
FRIENDS. YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING
SOMETHING BECAUSE WE WANT
TO CONTROL PEOPLE. WE'RE DOING
IT BECAUSE WE'RE DESPERATELY
TRYING TO USE EVERY TOOL IN OUR
TOOLBOX TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC
WHILE WE WAIT FOR A VACCINE
AVAILABILITY TO SCALE UP SO
WE CAN PROTECT EVERYBODY. IZZY
TOLD ME THAT OTHER THAN
THAT EXCITING MMILESTONE
OF HAVING SURPASSED 50 %
OF VACCINATIONS FOR THE
POPULATION OF SIXTY FIVE. PLUS,
SHE SAYS THAT STARTING TODAY
MORE WISCONSINITES WILL BE
ELIGIBLE FOR THE VACCINE. SO
TEACHERS UNIVERSITY WORKERS,
FOOD, FOOD, FOOD PRODUCERS AS
WELL AS CERTAIN PEOPLE
WITH CERTAIN DISABILITIES
ARE ELIGIBLE. BUT SHE ALSO
REMINDED ME THAT ELIGIBILITY
DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN
THAT EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE
TO GET IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
>> SO AGAIN, SHE ASKED FOR MORE
PATIENCE. SURE, WE CAN HONE
IN ON WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT
THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE
A DECISION TO DIAL THINGS BACK
IF NEED BE. HOPEFULLY IT DOESN'T
HAVE TO HAPPEN. BUT HOW DOES SHE
MONITOR THAT ? LIKE IN THE VERY
NEAR FUTURE?
NEAR FUTURE? >> WHAT DOES SHE LOOK AT? WELL ,
SHE'S ALSO LOOKING AT CASES
AND SHE ALSO SAID THAT SHE DOES
NOT ENJOY MAKING THESE
DECISIONS. RIGHT. AND SO SHE
WANTED TO BRING UP SPRING BREAK.
SHE WAS I KNOW EVERYONE IS
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT SPRING
BREAK, BUT SHE REMINDED ME
FLYING IS STILL A VERY HIGH RISK
ACTIVITY IN WHICH YOU CANNOT
SOCIALLY DISTANCE FROM SOMEBODY
WHO IS NOT IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD. SO