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Agenda Item

1. 210165 Communication relating to the status of the Milwaukee Health Department's 'Moving Milwaukee Forward' public health and safety order.

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    Jeff Monday almost 3 years ago

    I would like to express my strong support for the decision of Mayor Barrett, Commissioner Johnson, and former acting Director Jackson to remove the Moving Milwaukee Forward Safely orders. As a school leader, the Milwaukee Health Department has effectively provided schools guidance and a structure to mitigate the risks of COVID spread while allowing schools to provide in-person education for our children. The orders of the Department throughout the pandemic have been informed by scientific studies and updated information from the CDC. Milwaukee has been successful against the spread. I support their continued work and efforts to remove restrictions in order to protect the economic, mental health, and educational needs of our community during a time when transmission rate is low and the vaccine is widely available. Please show support for Health Department leadership at this time.

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    Gina DacQuisto almost 3 years ago

    I am a Milwaukee Public Schools teacher and I oppose the Health Department's decision to drop mask wearing after June 1st. I have spent more than a year trying to teach 3-5 year old children through a screen. We are finally back in schools, but teaching new habits has been rough. Young children love to follow rules, especially safety rules, and they have done a great job learning the importance of masks, distance and hand washing. However, consistency is key. If we drop mask-wearing now, over the summer they will lose these good habits we have developed. When fall comes, I want to be back in schools with my full class, with group and partner work (not possible to distance) and masks will be the only mitigation to stop the spread of the virus in an unvaccinated indoor group. We need the masks to move forward back to normalcy. We need to understand that masks are the key to getting back to normal. I know the claim is often made: "getting back to normal means dropping the masks!" No, we get back to normal BY wearing masks. There are too many unvaccinated. We don't want to see cases go up this summer. We need to keep suppressing the virus and we do this by keeping up the masks.

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    Anna Lampkins almost 3 years ago

    We as a state are currently only at 40 percent full vaccination and we are using an honor system to trust people when they are without masks that they are part of that low number! It is extremely risky and foolish to lift mask mandate on that criteria especially indoors.

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    Carey Kammel almost 3 years ago

    The city needs to keep an indoor mask mandate, to help protect businesses from unvaccinated people. Anti-mask, anti-vax idiots have put no effort into limiting spread, so the city needs to continue to force the only thing that will get us out of this, science. The CDC recommendation gives entirely too much trust to people who have proven they have no responsibility with that trust.

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    Amy Oeth almost 3 years ago

    I'm disappointed with the decision to lift the mandate with little discussion about what this means for kids. I would like to know that my child's day camp and school in the fall will be required to have the children and unvaccinated staff wear masks.

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    Jennifer Steiner almost 3 years ago

    On behalf of the United Community Center, we encourage the Common Council to continue to delegate decisions of health and safety protocols to the Milwaukee Health Department who should use the CDC recommendations to guide decisions. We look forward to moving Milwaukee forward and allowing our community to once again fully access needed services and opportunities including our educational activities without restrictions.

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    Lucas Rutowski almost 3 years ago

    The Milwaukee Health Department order of May 18th clearly lays out that unvaccinated individuals should continue wearing a mask, despite the mandate ending, which is in line with CDC guidance and scientific consensus on vaccine effectiveness. Noting this, I think we should move Milwaukee forward, unimpeded, towards normalcy by ending the mask mandate and capacity limits on June 1st.

    Milwaukee's abundance of vaccine supply, controlled case numbers, availability of treatments + hospital beds all indicate we are ready to progress forward in recovery. As a strong believer in science and pragmatism I think it would be foolish to impede our path to recovery noting these metrics. Crucially, it is an individuals responsibility to seek out the vaccine and receive it. I agree that more effort should be spent there to encourage underrepresented people to receive the vaccine, and on a national scale to make vaccines available to children once proven safe and effective, but it should not come at the cost of being paralyzed in fear.

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    Rita Schramek almost 3 years ago

    The city needs to get back to normal. Masks should no longer be required. Why are people that have natural immunity not being tested and monitored or ever mentioned in the media and propaganda? I have had COVID many months ago and continue to have my physician check for antibodies. As of today, I still have them. Therefore, I am just as protected (or maybe better protected) than those that have gotten the vaccine. I do not need to wear a facemask and should not be mandated to do so

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    Michael Doble almost 3 years ago

    Reopen the city now. The science supports it & vaccines are WIDELY available. Those that still feel at risk either need to stay home or get a vaccine. Why would you continue to put our city out of business with capacity limits and the like when folks are just not taking responsibility for their health? It's just dumb.

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    Peggy WilliamsSmith almost 3 years ago

    On behalf of VISIT Milwaukee, I would like to state that we support the decision of the health department to expire the mask mandate on June 1. From the very beginning, we have been asked to follow the science and the CDC. The CDC has said that it is safe for fully vaccinated people to go mask free. The City of Milwaukee must continue to align itself with the guidance of the CDC and the top public health scientists in the country and allow these businesses to operate with their own guidelines.

    Reinstating the mask mandate puts no pressure on individuals or government. It merely makes business owners the enforcers of a policy that is not easily enforced.

    Now is the time to shift ALL of our collective energy into educating people about the vaccine and continuing to provide easy access to getting vaccinated.

    We have and will continue to proudly support the vaccination rollout, through monetary investments and campaigns to encourage vaccinations. We will also use our voice to continue to reiterate that vaccines are necessary to end this pandemic and get back to doing what we love with who we love.

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    Chris Wiken almost 3 years ago

    As a resident and business owner in the City of Milwaukee, I strongly believe that it is time to move forward with safely opening the City. Mayor Barrett and Commissioner Johnson have made the right decision to end the mask mandate and capacity restrictions. They are following the science that the CDC has presented. The Common Council needs to do the same. We must continue to push our residents to get vaccinated, as my family and our staff have. Businesses must be allowed to fully reopen and then chart their own course on what they believe is right for them, their customers and their staff. The public can then decide whether or not to patronize those businesses based on their concern or comfort level. Many cities in our state and our country have reopened safely and it is time to Move Milwaukee Forward as well by letting the mandates expire as already scheduled.

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    Hannah Jahn almost 3 years ago

    I am a parent of a young child who is not yet eligible for the covid vaccine. I am less likely, if the mask mandate ends, to feel comfortable bringing her to any indoor public place, even though she herself wears a mask. I cannot trust that the unmasked people around me are actually vaccinated. When in public with my child, I will wear my mask to be a good example for her. When out alone, I will wear a mask indoors to reassure people around me that I care about them without having to announce I'm vaccinated. Kids under 16 won't be fully vaccinated for another 5 weeks yet. I feel families with kids are being pushed to "stay at home" now more than ever now that we have the threat of unvaccinated people breathing on us. This is opposite to the goal of having us go shop. A huge group of people is being disadvantaged and forgotten. I recommend keeping mask mandates in place until all kids are eligible for the vaccine. Kids do get and spread covid. Let's not mess this up now. Let's also not make business owners the "bad guys" if they continue mask policies in their stores.

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    Eric Steele almost 3 years ago

    We have been told for over a year now to "follow the science". But, now that the science is telling us it is safe to remove the masks, there are still those trying the prevent it? Why? Vaccines are widely available. Case rates are bottoming out. Some say we need to protect children who are unable to get the vaccine yet. But children have been the safest from this virus all along. Stop playing political games. It is time to let the city get back to doing business. People are being murdered in our city every week under far more dangerous circumstances. Why don't you try to focus on the inner city violence and stop worrying about the masks?

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    Dan Sebring almost 3 years ago

    It comes as no surprise to me that certain members of the Milwaukee Common Council would propose something that goes completely contrary to "following the science" since the CDC guidelines apparently no longer fit their anti-American agenda of subjugation through compliance to "science" that is highly questionable in the first place. A resounding NO to going against the new CDC guidelines and continuing the enslavement of the citizenry through useless "public health" mandates that cause more harm than good.

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    Steve Baas almost 3 years ago

    On behalf of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), I would like to express my strong support for the decision by Mayor Barrett and Commissioner Johnson to end the City's COVID orders, effective June 1. Medical science, social science and economic science all concur that current vaccine availability and efficacy has been a game changer, empowering individuals to manage their own COVID risk levels. It is increasingly clear that the threat to the community's economic and mental health of maintaining the city's restrictions on personal behavior and economic activity far outweighs the medical risks of removing those restrictions. Further, re-imposing mandates that would be largely ignored by citizens and would be nearly 100% unenforceable with existing city infrastructure would only serve to undermine the Common Council's credibility, authority, or legitimacy in the eyes of the public. That sort of erosion of confidence in our public institutions would have long-lasting negative ripple effects on the image and brand of the City of Milwaukee..

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    Paul Hackbarth almost 3 years ago

    The City of Milwaukee has vowed to follow the science. The science coming from the top agency "CDC" states that it is safe to remove the masks and resume normal life if vaccinated. The bottom line is the vaccine is plentiful, available, and frankly available in every community in MKE. People now have a personal choice, and it is time to move MKE forward and drop the restrictions and health orders. Alderwomen and Aldermen are elected officials not scientists, and should not challenge decisions based on top scientific guidance. We've vowed to follow the science, and that is exactly what Mayor Barrett and Commissioner Johnson are doing. There is absolutely no reason that we must be under restrictions when the rest of the state and communities have lifted theirs. Common sense!

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    Curt Kluth almost 3 years ago

    As a business owner, we support safely reopening the City and believe we are doing just that by following the guidelines set by the CDC. As surrounding communities continue to safely reopen we should do just the same. We should focus our efforts are engaging our community to become fully vaccinated and allow those that choose to wear a mask, continue to do so. This past year has been challenging for families, businesses, and the community. We must work together to continue to communicate and reopen safely.

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    Derek Gabrys almost 3 years ago

    Milwaukee is already dragging out these mask mandates well beyond much larger cities like New York for example and the rest of the state.
    The vaccine is available to pretty much everyone now except young children who are at extremely low risk. The fact that some people chose not to get vaccinated is on them and won't affect people who did choose to get the vaccine due to its effectiveness.
    Going against the CDC guidance that you followed throughout the pandemic only when it became brings freedom and good news would send a very, very bad message to people and make the common council look like dictators with no science backing them up. You can't just start making up new metrics on the spot because a few people seem to want masks to stay around forever. Ending mandates will help area businesses get back on their feet and people who are concerned can still wear a mask if they choose to. They should not be mandated at this point.

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    KATRINA McNamara almost 3 years ago

    Milwaukee Heath Department's plan to lift Covid restrictions is very concerning. The updated CDC guidelines pertain to fully vaccinated individuals and still suggests that unvaccinated individuals remain masked for the safety of the community, including children who are not able to be vaccinated. We have young children, one of which has an underlying heath condition. We will be vaccinating them as soon as it becomes available for their age group. We have been following all protocols regarding masks and social distancing thus far. We use masks with our children when not at home, as there is no way to know if adults have been vaccinated and we know that no children are vaccinated. We were hoping to be able to begin to enjoy some masked outdoor activities this summer, such as enjoying our local parks and farmers markets, as well as beginning to attend some camps and in person school in the fall. Without the Healh Department requirements, leaving our home to attend these places will be too much of a risk for us. Schools in Milwaukee also look to the health department for guidance; these restrictions, we cannot count on school to be a safe place for our children in the fall.

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    Steve Hawthorne almost 3 years ago

    I am a resident and business owner in the city as well as a parent of three children under 12. My wife and I are both fully vaccinated as are our employees. From the beginning of the pandemic, I have committed to following the science. I required masks in my business before it was madnated by the city or state. I supported the city's effort to pass a public health ordiance and have invested significant time and money into researching and implementing best practices to myself, my family, my employees and my customers safe. I did this by following the science. Now that science has determined that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks, I believe it is time to allow the public health order to expire. While I share the concern for unvaccinated children, I am confident in my ability to keep my children safe by employing the skills we have learned over the last year. I will listen to my staff and customers to determine how our business operations will or will not change based on what we know of the science. Mandating that vaccinated folks continue to wear masks contradicts the science and I believe would be the wrong thing to do. Thank you for your consideration.