BEEN IN SESSION TO PUT ITS OWN
RULES IN PLACE IN RESPONSE TO
THE PANDEMIC AND THE REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY IS SUING TO OVERTOOURN
THE GOVERNOR'S STATEWIDE MASK
MANDATE.
A JOINT LEGISLATIVE RULES
COMMITTEE WILL MEET MONDAY TO
TRY TO OVERTURN THE MASK
GATHERING ORDER IN THE GRIPS OF
A SURGE IN COVID CASES AND THE
STATE WILL OPEN A FIELD
HOSPITAL AT STATE PARK.
THE ALTERNATIVE CARE FACILITY
OPENS WEDNESDAY AS OVERFLOWS
FOR HOSPITALS ACROSS THE STATE.
OUR NEXT GUEST SAYS
UNFORTUNATELY MORE PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO DIE BEFORE
POLICYMAKERS ACCEPT WE NEED
LAWS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF OUR STATE.
DR. PATRICK REMINGTON IS
PROFESSOR AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
POPULATION HEALTH SCIENCES AT
UW-MADISON.
HE JOINS US NOW AND THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE, THANKS.
>> HOW SHOCKING TO YOU ARE THE
NUMBERS OF POSITIVE CASES
WISCONSIN IS NOW SEEING TOPPING
3,000 DAY OVER DAY?
>> WELL, WHEN I LOOKED AT
MODELS IN THE EARLY PART OF THE
YEAR IN APRIL AND MAY PEOPLE
WERE NOT PREDICTING SUCH A HIGH
NUMBER OF DEATHS BUT OVER THE
SUMMER AS BUSINESSES OPENED UP
AND PEOPLE RESUMED WHAT MIGHT
BE CONSIDERED NORMAL
ACTIVITIES, BUT ARE NOW KNOWN
AS HIGH-RISK ACTIVITIES, MODELS
BEGAN TO PREDICT THIS.
SO REALLY PEOPLE WHO STUDY
COVID-19 AND TRANSMISSION SAW
THIS COMING AND I DON'T THINK
THEY SAW THAT WISCONSIN WOULD
BE ONE OF THE TOP STATES FOR
THE INCIDENCE BUT THEY
CERTAINLY SAW THAT THERE WOULD
BE CONTINUED COMMUNITY
TRANSMISSION AND INCREASING
NUMBERS OF DEATHS.
>> THE SECRETARY DESIGNATED THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
SAID SHE BELIEVES IT WILL GET
WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER.
IS THAT YOUR SUPPOSITION AS
WELL?
>> YEAH.
THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE
TRANSMISSION THAT WE'RE SEEING
IS SUSTAINED.
IT IS GETTING COLDER.
PEOPLE ARE MOVING INDOORS TO
PLACES IN WISCONSIN THAT ARE
QUITE POPULAR FOR GATHERING
INDOORS.
PLACES LIKE TAVERNS AND BARS.
AND THOSE PLACES ARE REALLY
HIGH RISK.
THEY HAVE OFTEN POOR
VENTILATION WITH PEOPLE IN
CLOSE CRAMPED QUARTERS AND ALSO
SPEAKING LOUDLY AND DOING
THINGS THAT WE KNOW INCREASE
THE RISK OF TRANSMISSION.
SO I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN THE
WORST OF IT AS EVIDENCED OVER
THE WEEKEND.
THE GREATEST NUMBER OF CASES
REPORTED AND OUR NEW AVERAGE
NUMBER OF DEATHS IS THE HIGHEST
IT'S EVER BEEN.
>> HOW FEARFUL SHOULD WE BE
ABOUT THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK TWO ANSWERS.
ONE IS INDIVIDUALLY I THINK YOU
CAN CONTROL YOUR OWN RISK.
CERTAINLY IF YOU ARE ABLE TO
STAY AT HOME FOR MOST OF THE
TIME, THEN YOU ARE -- YOU HAVE
MADE A SAFE DECISION AND YOU
HAVE ELIMINATED THE RISK OF
BECOMING INFECTED.
MANY OF US CAN'T DO THAT,
ESPECIALLY ESSENTIAL WORKERS
AND SO I THINK SAFE PRACTICES,
BEING OUTDOORS AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE.
WHEN YOU ARE INDOORS OR CAN'T
KEEP SIX FEET OF DISTANCE
BETWEEN YOU AND OTHERS, WEARING
A MASK.
NOT JUST TO PROTECT YOURSELF
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO PROTECT
OTHERS IN CASE YOU ARE SICK AND
DON'T KNOW IT.
MANY PEOPLE -- MOST PEOPLE, IN
FACT, TRANSMIT THE VIRUS BEFORE
THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS AND MANY
PEOPLE DON'T HAVE SYMPTOMS AT
ALL.
SO THE KEY PART OF THE MASK IS
PROTECTING OTHERS IN CASE YOU
ARE SICK AND DON'T KNOW IT.
>> IN A PERFECT PUBLIC HEALTH
WORLD, WHAT SHOULD WISCONSIN BE
DOING TO CONTROL THIS
UNCONTROLLABLE SPREAD OF
COVID-19 RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, I THINK UNIVERSAL MASK
USE HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN
RESEARCH STUDIES AND LOOKING
AROUND THE WORLD AS BEING ABLE
TO CUT IN HALF THE NUMBER OF
INFECTIONS THAT WE'RE PREDICTED
TO SEE.
THE FIRST THING IS JUST ACCEPT
THIS AS THE NEW SOCIAL NORM.
I HOPE IT WON'T LAST FOREVER
BUT IT IS GOING TO LAST FOR
MONTHS AND MAYBE YEARS.
SO WE HAVE TO JUST BECOME
ACCUSTOMED TO WEARING MASKS
WHEN INDOORS.
CERTAINLY.
I EVEN SEE PEOPLE MORE AND MORE
WEARING MASKS OUTDOORS ALTHOUGH
THAT MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARY.
IF YOU ARE MORE THAN SIX FEET
AWAY AND OUTDOORS.
I THINK IT'S BECOMING NORMAL.
BECOMING THE NORMAL THING TO DO.
SO THAT ALONE CAN REDUCE THE
RISK OF TRANSMISSION.
>> WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO
POLICYMAKERS?
>> WELL FIRST OF ALL, LOOK TO
THE SIGNS.
I THINK THERE IS GOOD RESEARCH
HAPPENING.
DON'T DOUBT WHEN SCIENCE
EVOLVES AND WE LEARN MORE
THINGS.
PEOPLE ARE DOUBTING MASKS
BECAUSE AT ONE TIME IN FEBRUARY
AND MARCH THE GENERAL
ASSESSMENT WAS THAT MASKS
WEREN'T VERY EFFECTIVE.
BUT WE'VE LEARNED MORE SINCE.
I THINK INFORMED POLICY BY THE
BEST AVAILABLE RESEARCH, LISTEN
TO YOUR SCIENTISTS AND
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SERVICES HAS AMAZING STAFF BOTH
STATE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
DEPARTMENT LEVEL.
LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS AND
RESPOND WITH A POLICY THAT IS
EVIDENCE-BASED.
>> WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
SUPER SPREADER EVENTS IN
WASHINGTON EVEN AS WISCONSIN
FACES ITS OWN UNCONTROLLED
SPREAD?
>> WELL, THERE IS AN ATLANTIC
MONTHLY ARTICLE THAT TALKS
ABOUT 80/20.
80% OF THE INFECTIONS ARE
SPREAD BY 20% OF THE PEOPLE.
CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY
TO SPREAD THE DISEASE AND THERE
ARE HIGH RISK INDOOR
ENVIRONMENTS POORLY VENTILATED
LIKE A BAR OR TAVERN.
WE NEED TO AVOID THOSE SETTINGS.
THOSE BECOME SUPER SPREADER
EVENTS AND I THINK WE'RE HAVING
THOSE IN WISCONSIN.
IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE
STATE YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE
HIGHEST RATES OF INFECTION IN
THE COUNTRY.
WE JUST NEED TO BE SMART ABOUT
AVOIDING THOSE SETTINGS AND
INDIVIDUALLY ENGAGING IN SAFE
PRACTICES.
>> WHERE DO THE POLITICS OF
THIS PANDEMIC LEAVE THE AVERAGE
CITIZEN?
>> I THINK POLITICS GENERALLY,
THE REPUBLICANS AND
CONSERVATIVES LIKE SMALL
GOVERNMENT AND DEMOCRATS AND
LIBERALS ARE IN FAVOR OF
GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS.
I THINK THIS IS A PLACE WHERE
IN PUBLIC HEALTH WE UNDERSTAND
THAT WE DO NEED SOME RULES.
WE BANNED SMOKING INDOORS IN
RESTAURANTS AND BARS ALMOST A
DECADE AGO AND THAT NOW SEEMS
VERY REASONABLE.
IT IS A GOVERNMENT LAW.
IT DID INFRINGE ON INDIVIDUAL'S
RIGHTS TO SMOKE IN INDOOR
ENVIRONMENTS BUT NOW WE CAN'T
EVEN IMAGINE A TIME WHEN PEOPLE
SMOKED FREELY IN BARS AND
RESTAURANTS.
I THINK THE SAME APPLIES TO
GOING INDOORS WITHOUT A MASK.
IT IS ALMOST LIKE SMOKING
INDOORS.
BY NOT WEARING A MASK INDOORS
YOU ARE INCREASING THE RISK TO
OTHERS.
SO I THINK RULES THAT FOLLOW
THAT MODEL OF CLEAN INDOOR AIR
ARE VERY REASONABLE AND
SHOULDN'T BE A PARTISAN ISSUE.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
DR. PAT REMINGTON, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.