As the spring season finally starts blooming, it seems COVID-19 season is finally seeing its end. Starting April 5, Governor Evers is making residents 16 and older eligible to receive the vaccine. Sports are back. Businesses are beginning to spark life once again. It seems things are finally starting to adjust back to what normal was. 

With this new normal coming, it’s still important to keep updated on guidelines within the community. The mask ordinance within the city is still up and running. The common council voted to keep it in place until June 30. 

“For this past year, we’ve all been stuck in our houses,” said Downtown Whitewater President Lisa Dawsey Smith. “A lot of our habits and routines are not what they were a year ago.”

Events are slowly coming back around to Whitewater, with both the community and the university hoping to have more events back in the fall, and in person. Some of these events include the 4th of July Festival, but still depend on several factors as the pandemic keeps slowly shrinking. Currently, Walworth County is in phase 3 of re-opening. 

Businesses are still required to makeup and promote social distancing. Restaurants are still mainly doing delivery services or curbside orders, with some slowly beginning to open up their dining room again. Many places are also still working at limited capacity, allowing customers to be able to social distance and still enjoy their time in Whitewater. 

“I have six kids right now in my ballet classes,” said En Fuego owner Jessica Solis-Cano. “We’re requiring masks, and it’s only open to students who’ve already been a part of this program, but I’m looking forward to having the rest of the community eventually here as well. 

Testing for COVID-19 is still being held at the Community Engagement Center for city residents, and for students and faculty at UW-Whitewater it’s being held at the University Center. Vaccination distributions can be found at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/vaccine-get.htm 

The CDC still recommends that unvaccinated individuals, or individuals that have not received both of the vaccines still wear masks, stay at a safe distance (six feet), wash your hands regularly, and to stay at home if you’re feeling sick, as well as getting tested at least once a week if possible. For more information about community guidelines in Whitewater, visit https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/502/COVID-19-Community-Updates. For more information about COVID-19 in the state of Wisconsin, visit https://evers.wi.gov/Pages/Home.aspx.