I suspect by now that everyone knows that Wisconsin’s Governor has issued a stay at home order, as have the Governors of Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. I don’t want to guess how long these travel restrictions will be in place, but as the weather warms, many of us will be thinking about when we can or should return to Lynx and Red Bass Lakes. This letter written by John Richter, a resident of Plum Lake and a person very active in fighting for conserving Wisconsin’s Lakes, has some helpful information regarding this topic.
| To: Members of Plum Lake Association
From: John Richter 4/1/20 As Covid 19 continues to spread, Northern Wisconsin, which contains the oldest population in the state, is bracing for the potential of an overwhelmed health care system. This system was not designed for a large influx of people in a pandemic scenario. Resources are extremely scarce here, including an overall lack of staff throughout the system in the north. What follows is some information provided by informed sources. Looking at a service radius of around 60 miles for our hospitals in Woodruff, the following statistics have been provided by Kaiser: ICU beds
Ventilators are difficult to nail down, but in general, the hospitals do not have one for every ICU room. There are units in the Paramedic vehicles, which may have to stay in those vehicles. It was reported to me by our Fire and Paramedic chief that Marshfield medical center in Minocqua is apparently not going to open because it can’t get the required inspections done. Howard Young is planning to reopen the 4th floor for ICU beds but I don’t know the count. A new supply of needed PPE and ventilators has been requested by the Governor but delivery is an unknown. It is fairly clear at this point that asymptomatic people that have been infected will be likely to continue to spread covid19 to new areas. It is not expected that northern Wisconsin will escape the spread of this virus and the number of cases is increasing. It is important that you be aware of how thin the resources are here if you intend to return after the current State mandated lockdown period, which expires at the end of this month. If you do decide to return after that, please consider the importance of strict self -isolation for at least 14 days. Bring food for that period with you so that you are not in the stores. When we returned to our home from a short trip, early last month, we planned three weeks of meals and necessary provisions that we brought with us in addition to what we had in our home. Our goal was to stay out of stores and away from people. We are approaching the end of our planned lockdown but it will now be extended until the end of the month. You should be aware that there are numbers of people who are ignoring this now and returning without a thought to consequences or proper protocol. A final thought: The current best guess on the apex of the curve of infection In Wisconsin coincides with the start of our tourist season – opening day of fishing on May 2nd. Peak infection and thoughtless vacationers are not a recipe for containment. Guide yourselves accordingly with this information and stay safe. My best to all of you, and prayers that we all get through this. John |
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