 Since our Special City Council meeting last week, we've seen an outbreak of coronavirus at the Sonny Ridge Nursing Home in Sheboygan. The Sheboygan County Public Health Department immediately evaluated the situation. Residents were isolated and the staff that had contact with the COVID-19 positive staff member were relieved from their duties until tested. They requested an emergency shipment of personal protection equipment from the state. I was contacted by Kalinda Napa, the director of Sonny Ridge on Friday morning asking for assistance to find additional staff to fill in for those missing because of the isolations that were due to the outbreak. I contacted County Administrator Adam Payne to get the background information on the situation and we both got on the phone and called representatives of our local hospitals who agreed to assist having their staff work open shifts at Sonny Ridge. It was great to see the cooperation between these local partners to focus on the problem and make sure that the 94 residents of the nursing home receive proper care. Public Health worked with the State Department of Health and Family Services and the Bureau of Quality for Appearance and arranged for the Wisconsin National Guard to be mobilized on Sunday. They tested 164 patients and staff and this needed to be done so we truly understand which patients and staff needed to be isolated to deal with this COVID-19 outbreak. Currently in their 21 active cases of the coronavirus in Sheboygan County, 19 of those 21 cases are associated with the outbreak at Sonny Ridge Nursing Home. My thanks to the great work done by Sheboygan County Public Health, the emergency directors Steve Steinart and Chuck Butler, the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Assurances, the Bureau of Quality Assurance and the Wisconsin National Guard and our local hospitals for the cooperation to control this coronavirus outbreak. During the COVID-19 restrictions residents have been allowed to go for walks in the community and in our parks and currently the city is also allowed to skate park located at Kiwanis Park and the Frisbee disc golf course at JC Park to be used. I've received reports that some of the residents using these facilities have not been practicing social distancing. Yesterday we put out a reminder that if these individuals do not either mask up or observe social distancing that we will have to close these facilities so we hope that everybody will observe those parameters. Last year the council approved allowing remote meetings as long as there was a quorum of members at the meeting or attending remotely. With the current pandemic we have begun to use this new policy to continue to hold all of our normal meetings and the meetings will take place here in the council chambers so that they can easily be broadcast to the community and normal business of city government can continue unimpeded. No one knows when the situation will end so I'm asking for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. I appreciate the commitment of all the staff here at the city of Sheboygan and our local essential businesses who are doing their best to continue to deliver the services that residents expect. If you're a snowbird or you know a snowbird who has just returned to Sheboygan we're asking you to see that when you come back please isolate yourself for at least two weeks in your home. Consider getting your groceries or pharmacy delivered or ask another family member in the community to drop them off. By isolating yourself this will help us to eliminate the community spread of the coronavirus. Yesterday we held the spring election. This is not something that really should take place during a pandemic but it did. Early on the city clerk faced the news that two of the polling locations were not going to be available. Other locations were obtained and notice was mailed to the voters in those districts. Then as the election approached about 80 of the hundred poll workers that normally help out asked to be relieved of their duties and because of the coronavirus the clerk's office put out the call for other residents to consider filling in the ranks in the polls and with this new manpower and some help from city personnel they were able to staff all the locations. By having all of our polling locations all implemented and implementing new measures to reduce the chance for virus transmission we were able to conduct the election and keep all parties as safe as possible. The total votes cast looks to be just under 10,000 votes which is about 41% of the registered voters. For comparison if you go back to 2016 spring election there were 14,000 votes cast which was about 60% of the registered voters. I want to extend a special thank you to our poll workers, the staff in the clerk's office and most of all our city clerk Meredith de Bruin for the great job in organizing the spring election in this difficult environment. Let's give her a well-deserved hand. Now remember to wash your hands often. Keep a six foot distance from others, cover your cough, stay at home when you're sick, do not assemble in groups, restrict your weekly shopping to groceries and pharmacy and take out dining and stay safer at home.