Wisconsin health officials said Wednesday that a field hospital at a fairground will open next week in order to accommodate skyrocketing cases of COVID-19. As of Tuesday afternoon, only 16 percent of 11,452 hospital beds in Wisconsin were available. The field hospital will not allow walk-ins and will include 530 beds built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The field hospital will be manned by volunteers state workers and National Guard members and will not allow visitors. “We hoped this day wouldn’t come, but unfortunately, Wisconsin is in a much different, more dire place today and our healthcare systems are beginning to become overwhelmed by the surge of COVID-19 cases,” the office of Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “This alternative care facility will take some of the pressure off our healthcare facilities while expanding the continuum of care for folks who have COVID-19.”
