Waukesha County to allow groups of 100 or fewer, social distancing guidelines remain in place

WAUKESHA -- Waukesha County health officials have announced that groups of 100 people or fewer will now be allowed to gather in the county.

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow

Officials say they've been gaining ground in the fight against the coronavirus in Waukesha County.

"The primary ones that we're keeping an eye on are the hospitals, and the impact on the hospitals," said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. "The other one that we have to that we are really focusing here on the county is our contact tracing."

Farrow says, of the county's roughly 800 confirmed cases, about 20% of them end up needing care at a hospital.

"It really gives us an understanding that we are doing the right things," Farrow said.

As the county looks to continue expanding its successful contact tracing initiative, the announcement was made that groups of 100 or fewer could now gather.

"So, even though its '100 or fewer,' it doesn't mean that if your capacity is 150 we should have 100 people in there," Farrows said. "We still want to practice that social distancing. We still want to ensure that we're keeping each other safe as we're going through this."

An increase from its previous threshold of 50 people, the county executive says that being in larger groups means people, and businesses, need to be mindful of safety.

"Even though we're saying you can have 100 people, you still want to practice those standard...proper social distancing," said Farrow.

Businesses, in any occupation, need to take into account proper social distancing requirements and sanitation etiquette.

"As we know, we're hitting June is in Wisconsin, this is the time that everybody wants to come outside," said Farrow. "We encourage them to be out, but when you go out -- the key, remember, is be safe."

For those who have questions or concerns on how the threshold may impact you or your business, CLICK HERE.