If social distancing is over by June, the UW-Madison is expected to lose $100 million. The pandemic is also expected to economically hit counties dependent on tourism hard.
UW-Madison Expects To Lose $100M
Tourism-Dependent Counties Hard Hit By Virus
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on the coronavirus outbreak in Wisconsin (all times local):
9:35 a.m.
Wisconsin's economy will be harder hit by the coronavirus pandemic in areas where there is more tourism, a study by the Wisconsin Policy Forum released on Tuesday said.
The study found that counties that depend heavily on tourism face the greatest challenges due to the concentration of jobs related to hotels, restaurants, entertainment and recreation. The virus outbreak has forced closures of nonessential businesses across the state, including many that rely on tourists like water parks in Wisconsin Dells, professional and collegiate sporting events and historical sites throughout the state.
The forum's report said in six tourism-dependent counties, at least one out of every four jobs is in a sector heavily impacted by closures due to the virus. That includes Adams County, which covers a portion of the Wisconsin Dells area, Door County and Walworth County, which includes the Lake Geneva area. The other three are Vilas, Bayfield and Sawyer counties.
The longer the current economic situation lasts, the more it will affect summer tourism, particularly in counties where that is the majority of their tourism season, the report said.
The state's two largest metropolitan areas, Milwaukee and Madison, large numbers of workers are affected, even though their share of jobs in the affected sectors is not as large as other more tourism-dependent counties, the report said.
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6:15 a.m.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison expects to lose $100 million because of the coronavirus pandemic, that's if social distancing is over by June.
The loss includes reimbursing the majority of students for room and board after the campus closed because of COVID-19.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank told the University Committee Monday additional expenses include hiring professional cleaners and buying software licenses and programs to move thousands of courses online.
The State Journal reports the loss is about 3.2% of UW-Madison's $3 billion budget.
System spokesman Mark Pitsch said he doesn't have an estimate for the financial losses at its 26 campuses.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.
