May 30, 2020 5:15p
(WGTD)----The Kenosha County Health Dept. identified Saturday several establishments that are open to the public that have had an employee test positive for COVID-19. In addition, the department reported that 45 residents of a single long-term care facility have tested positive, and that three residents have died.
The revelations come after Health Dept. Dir. Jen Freiheit mentioned in her weekly community briefing Wednesday evening that 7 bartenders or servers at several establishments had confirmed cases. She took heat for not naming them. WGTD filed Friday an Open Records Request seeking the identities.
The seven establishments identified Saturday are Dukes Country Saloon at 2324 18th St., Coins Sports Bar at 1714 52nd St., Mikki's Rat Race at 8735 Sheridan Road, Saigon Panda at 3105 80th St, DeRangos at 2135 31st St, Kwik Trip at 8800 75th St and Stateline BP at 12720 Sheridan Rd.
The health department advises anyone who recently patronized the places to get tested next week at a National Guard testing site that'll be set up in the parking lot of Westosha Central High School. The site will be open Monday-Thursday from noon until 8, and Friday and Saturday from 10 until 6. Tests are free. Anyone ages 5 and up can be tested, regardless if they're showing symptoms.
In a news release, Freiheit said the businesses are being identified because it would be impossible to track down all of their patrons. The busineses have consented to being named, she said, in the interest of slowing the spread of the virus.
The nursing home in question is Kenosha Estates Living and Care Center at 1703 60th St. Residents who've tested positive are now in isolation. Administrators were quoted in the news release as saying the results of the testing done on all residents were "sobering" because so many of the residents and staff had no symptoms at the time the tests were administered. The news release doesn't say how many staff members tested positive.
Of the seven establishments, each had only one employee test positive, the release said. All are in isolation.
"We do not intend to publicize every business in the future that has a positive case, but ask that businesses help us in being able to provide lists of patrons that may have come into contact with a positive case," Freiheit said.
Coins Sports Bar was one of those taverns that opened within hours after the state supreme court declared Gov. Evers' 'Safer at Home' order invalid.
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