MADISON (NBC 26) -- The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is urging people to stay home during the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.
The department, which has been tracking coronavirus in the state and providing daily updates on the virus, says Wisconsin has seen a recent surge in cases.
Nearly 20% of total COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin have tested positive within the past two weeks, DHS said in a news release Thursday.
DHS said it has seen an increase in infections among younger people and many of these cases can traced back to bars.
“23% of our total cases in Wisconsin are people in their twenties,” said DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. “Compare that to our cases in early April when 11% of positive cases were in their twenties. In order to help decrease the infection rate in our state, we need younger Wisconsinites to take more precautions like staying home, physical distancing, and wearing cloth face coverings whenever possible.”
As of Wednesday, Wisconsin has had 29,199 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started, according to the DHS. Nearly 790 people had died from it, 5,320 cases were still active and a little more than 23,000 people had recovered.
“This message is especially important for younger people to hear,” said Governor Tony Evers. “We know this is a time people like to celebrate with friends, but COVID-19 is still spreading in our state, and we need everyone to take the necessary precautions.”
Read the full statement from DHS here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
