#StayHomeMKE urges residents to sign pledge, show support for stopping spread of COVID-19



MILWAUKEE -- Stay at home, save lives.

That's the continued message of a new PSA in Milwaukee. It comes from the Milwaukee County Unified Emergency Operation Center, and community leaders say now is the time to take action; it could be the difference in flattening the curve or becoming the nation's latest hot spot for COVID-19.

"We don't want to see our spike continue to go higher than projected and too many people reliant on the hospitals and the medical care that we have," said State Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee).



Milwaukee area elected officials and community leaders are again stressing the importance of following Gov. Tony  Evers orders on staying home. It's the subject of a PSA -- #StayHomeMKE -- launched this month, just as the weather is warming up -- and with Easter Sunday coming this weekend.

Pardeep Kaleka



"There's going to be a sense of, 'I want to get out. I want to be around town, and I want to be around people.' But coming back and saying, 'No, you know what, actually we're still in this global pandemic,'" said Pardeep Kaleka of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.

Bowen is one of the leaders of the PSA campaign. A survivor of COVID-19, he said now is the time to socially distance and realize just how easy the virus can spread.

David Bowen



"It's very real, and once it was in my system, it was no longer in China. It was no longer this distant thing states away from Wisconsin," Bowen said.

A news release says the #StayHomeMKE campaign shares the message that it is the responsibility of all residents to do their part to limit the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the impact on those most vulnerable in our communities.

As part of the campaign, Milwaukee County asks everyone -- residents, elected officials, municipalities and community leaders -- to show their support for stopping the spread of COVID-19 by signing a pledge and sharing the #StayHomeMKE graphics on their social channels and encouraging their friends and family to do the same.

CLICK HERE to download signs you can post in your home's window

The #StayHomeMKE campaign is a community-wide initiative launched to support Wisconsin's Safer at Home order and help increase awareness across Milwaukee County about the importance of staying home.

The recent University of Washington report shows the COVID-19 epidemic peak will hit Wisconsin hardest in late April.

For more details about the #StayHomeMKE campaign or for clarification on what staying home means, you are invited to visit stayhomemke.com.