MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Despite Milwaukee extending coronavirus restrictions, Catholic churches to begin limited reopening

Alison Dirr Sophie Carson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee's restrictions meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus will remain in place for now, city officials said Friday, on the eve of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee going ahead with plans to reopening Catholic churches for Mass — including many in the city. 

Mayor Tom Barrett said Friday afternoon that he had "very constructive" conversations with faith leaders, who are balancing the desire to resume services while not jeopardizing the health of worshipers — or the faith leaders themselves.

"We have seen good cooperation," the mayor said. "Does that mean it's going to be 100%? I can't speak to that."

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The vast majority of other churches in southeastern Wisconsin are holding back at least a bit longer, many of them keeping services online and ministering in myriad other ways. But the archdiocese, which includes nearly 200 parishes spread over 10 counties — most with no restrictions in place — has pressed ahead. 

Both sides on Friday sidestepped any appearance of confrontation.

Barrett, in talking about his dealings with faith leaders, said one conversation led Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki to announce that parishes on the city's south side, which has seen a significant increase in cases, would remain closed.

He didn't say how — or if — the city would enforce its current order that limits gatherings to 10 people or fewer, if religious services surpass that figure.

As for the archdiocese, "We consider worship and religious gatherings as essential," archdiocese spokeswoman Amy Grau said in a statement. "So, we don't believe we are in any violation of the city order and, as such, don't expect any consequences."

She didn't explain, when pressed, how the archdiocese made that determination, given that the city has different limits for different entities, and explicitly says religious services should be no more than 10 people.

Catholic parishes have been given extensive instructions regarding social distancing, cleaning and limiting attendance to 25% of capacity at any one time. Pastors have been told not to reopen if they do not believe their parish is ready, and to shut down if they get push-back from parishioners regarding wearing masks or complying with other limitations.

Roughly 40 parishes — about 20% of the Archdiocese — decided not to reopen for Mass this weekend, including the cluster on the city's south side.

"Parish pastors will decide if their parishes are ready to open safely and responsibly. Some City of Milwaukee parishes are opening, while others are not," Grau said.

City Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said officials have received questions and feedback about faith-based organizations and religious services.

"We have been monitoring this very closely and we are continuing to see outbreaks related to congregations in religious settings," she said.

It's not wise at this time, she said, to move into the next phase of reopening by allowing larger gatherings.

Singing and chanting can also propel droplets with much more force, spreading the virus, she said.

"We are concerned about this," she said. "We want to make sure we're protecting those that are most vulnerable, and we know that the issue with COVID of congregating for 10 minutes or more, less than 6 feet apart creates an opportunity for exposure." 

City leaders had hoped to be on the way to easing restrictions by the end of this week, but the measures they are using to determine when to do so did not improve.

"We have actually regressed a little bit and we could just, again, note that there has been a surge of testing in our area," Kowalik said, noting that more testing means more positive cases found.

The benchmarks — color-coded from worst to best in red, yellow and green to show how well the city is doing on each measure — are available at city.milwaukee.gov/coronavirus.

Officials are looking for:

  • Cases: A downward trend of positive test results as a percent of the total tests during a 14-day period. The city is currently in a red status.
  • Testing: This refers to the ability of residents with symptoms to get a coronavirus test. The city is currently in red status.
  • Care: The percentage of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and the hospitals' capacities for COVID-19 patients. The city is currently in yellow status.
  • Safety: The amount of personal protective equipment — including masks, gowns and gloves — available for health care workers, long-term care facilities and first responders. The city is currently in yellow status. 
  • Tracing: This refers to the ability to count, trace and monitor coronavirus outbreaks and cases. The city is currently in red status.

City officials will reassess the situation each Friday.

The current city order allows businesses including gyms to reopen in some fashion, but still bans in-person dining at restaurants and bars.

Milwaukee County's suburban municipalities allowed remaining businesses to reopen last week.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr