Alternate Care Facility future uncertain as COVID-19 cases decline

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - As both COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have continued to decrease around the state, the Alternate Care Facility at Wisconsin State Fair Park has gone virtually unused since Christmas.

The site opened in mid-October to serve as a safety net for hospitals running out of space and staff to treat COVID-19 patients.

It was designed to accommodate more than 500 patients at once. In total, 170 people have come through the facility -- the majority of those patients in mid-November while the pandemic reached its peak in Wisconsin.

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have continued to decline, the overflow space has seen just a trickle of patients. The last time someone was admitted was on Dec. 24.

"We are actively in evaluation of those items and considering other uses for State Fair Park as we move forward," said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).

For now, DHS officials say the site will remain open in case new COVID-19 strains result in a spring surge.

"It’s that great balancing act about, you don't want to close it too early...but we also can’t keep it open forever," Willems Van Dijk said.

Last month, one case of the U.K. variant was identified in Eau Claire County from an individual who had traveled internationally. While the DHS said no other instances have been reported, doctors with UW Health caution that the new strains appear to be more contagious and come at a time when residents may already be letting their guard down as the vaccine becomes available.

"By masking up, by keeping our distance, by avoiding large gatherings, we can limit the spread of any COVID strain by doing those things," said Dr. Matt Anderson with UW Health.

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The Wisconsin Department of Administration oversees operations of the Alternate Care Facility. Money to keep the site open comes from the federal CARES Act.

Once a date has been determined to close the facility, the Department of Administration will coordinate the deconstruction and sanitation efforts.