COVID-19 continues snowballing throughout the area and Wisconsin, disrupting government, and causing some building closures.

Despite that, at least half of the patrons at the Stanley Kwik Trip were not wearing masks in a “spot inspection” Sunday morning.

Boyd and Cadott Police Departments have had staffing difficulties due to quarantines (see article on page 3).

The City of Stanley initially was set to ratify its 2021 budget at a hearing this week. That was scrapped, as was a city council finance committee meeting that was to be held to finalize the spending plan last Wednesday. City Administrator/Clerk/Treausurer Donelle Spaulding emailed, “We are cancelling the Finance Committee meeting scheduled for November 11th due to COVID. Sorry for any inconvenience.”

The city budget publication is included in this edition of The Republican, and the public budget hearing was rescheduled for Dec. 3, just in time to get those tax bills in the mail!

In Chippewa County, the situation with COVID-19 is still at the “Severe” level, with 3,511 overall cases and 38 deaths related to the virus. On Nov. 15, there were 73 new cases reported. Of the total cases, 22 percent are considered active, and 77 percent of those who had COVID-19 have reby covered. One percent have died.

As of Friday, Nov. 13, the Stanley-Boyd School District had 223 students and six staff members “isolated or quarantined.” The cumulative positive cases reported at the school since the start of the school year is 28.

The Chippewa County Courthouse and Sheriff’s Department are closed to visitors.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 11, :all facilities will be closed to the general public,” a statement from Chippewa County states. “Anyone needing to do business at Chippewa County buildings should call ahead and be prepared to make alternative arrangements instead of meeting in person.”

County buildings are locked. Sheriff James Kowalczyk said his department has had “to adjust some of the services provided to the community until the pandemic is under control.”

The front office of the Sheriff’s Office and jail are not open to the public but “The Sheriff’s Office will continue to conduct business by answering your phone calls and responding to calls for service. Law enforcement services are still accessible and active 24 hours a day,” said Kowalczyk. “Deputies will still respond to complaints of crime and other issues surrounding quality of life in the county.”

“As more is learned about COVID-19 and its spread, the reopening of the front window of the Sheriff’s Office and jail may be expedited or extended,” said Kowalczyk.

If you call the Sheriff’s Office for service, “When you request to speak with a deputy you may be asked to meet in an open-air environment and to wear a face covering to minimize the exposure to viruses and promote social distancing.”

Local lawmakers have urged citizens to take steps to fend off the spread of COVID19. State Sen. Kathy Bernier and State Reps. Rob Summerfield and Jesse James issued the following joint statement: “As legislators representing part of Northwestern Wisconsin, we are calling on citizens to be more diligent in preventing the spread of COVID-19. As the number of people hospitalized with COVID has grown, the capacity to treat not only COVID patients, but those needing care for everything else has dwindled. As of today, hospitals in our part of the state are reporting zero ICU beds immediately available.

“We want and need to keep our economy moving. Our businesses are hurting, but another shut-down would be devastating. We need to do all we can to slow the spread, protect our elderly citizens, and make sure that individuals have the health care they need for various conditions, including COVID-19.

“According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the ICU beds in the Northwestern region are full and other parts of the state are in a similar situation. Unfortunately, COVID is not the only concern. Wisconsin residents also face other life-threatening emergencies that require hospitalization and critical care, such as car accidents and heart attacks. If ICU beds continue to be unavailable due to the spread of COVID, it can impact other types of care that our community needs – unrelated to COVID.

“As state legislators, we fully recognize and support everyone’s liberties and freedoms, so we are calling on our citizens to keep their guard up and protect themselves and those around them. We can do this!”