KBJR 6 recently covered a story at Memorial Medical Center about how we’ve been preparing for the past several months for any surge in COVID-19 activity in our areas.
Dr. Jill Schenk spoke to KBJR about our precautions and processes, and also reminded the public about the importance of wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings.
To view the story, click HERE.
Transcript:
ASHLAND, WI– A hockey tournament in Northwest Wisconsin has been tied to more than a dozen COVID-19 cases in the tri-state area.
As of Friday, the number of Bayfield County residents with confirmed cases of the virus remains at 5, with just one case connected to the tournament. For a rural area that has not seen a new case of COVID-19 since late March, the potential of a further spike has local officials urging community members to take the steps to stop the spread in its tracks.
Dr. Jill Shenk, President of Medical Staff at the Memorial Medical Center in Ashland, said the staff feels prepared if a larger spike were to happen. “We put processes in early March to be ready for whenever a surge happened, and it just so happened to occur this week,” Dr. Shenk said.
Dr. Shenk said that Ashland health officials are now urging community members to wear a mask and limit large gatherings to help prevent a surge from occurring. “It’s a sign about how much we care about other people by when we wear our masks and we know that that is important for everyone to do consistently,” Dr. Shenk said.
