MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on the coronavirus outbreak in Wisconsin (all times local):
1:54 p.m.
Gov. Tony Evers on Monday announced that every nursing home resident and worker in Wisconsin will be tested for free for the coronavirus.
The expanded testing is part of the state’s plan to ramp up testing to 85,000 per week. Evers said the state has the capacity to provide that many tests. Expanding testing to all residents and workers at all 373 nursing homes in Wisconsin is part of the plan to make more tests available to targeted high-risk populations.
Evers said state health officials started contacting nursing homes on Monday to coordinate supplies in advance of testing more than 10,000 residents and staff each week.
Other steps to increase testing include using the National Guard and local health agencies to test workers and families associated with outbreaks at businesses; increasing from 10 to 25 National Guard units to help with setting up testing sites to respond to outbreaks; and increasing free drive-through testing sites at communities across the state.
As of Monday, more than 8,200 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Wisconsin and 340 people died.
Evers’ reopening plan calls for a loosening of restrictions after a 14-day downward trend in positive cases as a percentage of total tests. There has been no clear trend over the past seven days. Positive cases were 9.9% of all tests on Monday, which was down from 11.1% the day before.
