Guidelines for Reopening

Updated 10/30/20

Detailed Guidelines for Safe, Phased Reopening – Phase B
Chart of Guidelines & Gating Criteria - see Phase B column
Additional guidance from WEDC and other agencies is available here.

With the rising numbers of cases and our key indicators no longer reflecting conditions where it is safe to participate in non-essential public gatherings and outings, the North Shore Health Department Department, along with other suburban Milwaukee County Health Departments are now strongly recommending all residents and business fall back to PHASE B of the Safe Opening Capacity Guidance effective October 30, 2020.

Risk mitigation is of primary importance this fall and winter. By reducing the number of people in our establishments and forgoing public gatherings, we will maximize other mitigation efforts like wearing cloth masks, cleaning and disinfecting and handwashing. For businesses, we encourage you to visit the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) websites for information on safe business practices in your respective industries. The mitigation strategies offered by these agencies can further support our collective efforts to slow the spread.

Our top priority is to keep our residents, visitors, and businesses healthy and safe during this health crisis. We hope these efforts will help to keep our friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers in a safer environment moving forward.

Gating Criteria:

Cases: Trajectory of the ratio of COVID-positive tests

Testing: Testing availability for all residents with COVID-19 symptoms

Care: Hospitals’ ability to treat all patients requiring hospitalization without resorting to crisis standards

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Adequate PPE available for healthcare personnel and first responders

Tracing: Ability to count, trace, and monitor COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in real time

The current status for each of the gating criteria can be found in the table to the right and more information is available on the MKE County Office of Emergency Management Dashboard under the “Key Indicators” tab.

Updated 11/12/20