Wisconsin health officials reported 5,278 tested positive for coronavirus Saturday with 59 additional deaths.<\/b>
\nMADISON, Wis. — The number of positive cases and deaths caused by COVID-19 continues to climb in Wisconsin Friday, with the governor and other state officials imploring residents to wear a mask and do what it takes to stop the spread. State health officials said 59 more people have died from coronavirus complications since Friday, bringing the death toll in Wisconsin to 2,031. The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases in Wisconsin hit another single-day record high. There were 5,278 new cases on Saturday, bringing the seven-day average to 4,404. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez says the total number of positive COVID-19 cases within the Badgers’ football program has increased to 22. Alvarez tells ESPN’s «College GameDay» that 12 football players and 10 staffers have tested positive. Alvarez said school officials would decide Tuesday whether to go ahead with the ninth-ranked Badgers’ scheduled Nov.7 home game with Purdue. Wisconsin had been scheduled to play at Nebraska on Saturday, a game that was canceled because of the outbreak. It won’t be rescheduled. Hospitals in the state have more COVID-19 cases than they’ve seen since the pandemic began, and there are fears the health care system could be overwhelmed soon. The Alternative Care Facility at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Expo Center opened earlier this month. The 530-bed facility currently has six patients. Wisconsin health officials reported 5,262 tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday while 64 people died — a record-high for both cases and deaths. President Donald Trump plans to campaign in Green Bay on Friday, marking his third stop to the battleground state of Wisconsin in a week. Democrat Joe Biden is also scheduled to campaign in Wisconsin on Friday, but he has not said where. Vice President Mike Pence held a rally in central Wisconsin on Wednesday, saying «the road to victory goes straight through Wisconsin.»Trump held a rally in the La Crosse area on Tuesday and was in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha on Saturday. The visits come in the final days of the campaign in a state that Trump won by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016. A new poll showed continued concerns about the virus heading into next week’s election. Meanwhile, as the approval rating for the Republican-controlled Legislature plummets and Election Day nears, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he would be open to passing a second coronavirus aid package. Gov. Tony Evers is pleading with Wisconsin residents to voluntarily stay home and limit their interactions amid new statewide daily records for confirmed coronavirus infections and deaths. Evers told reporters during a teleconference that he wants people to limit their interactions to their immediate family. The governor issued a stay-at-home order in March when the pandemic began but the conservative-leaning state Supreme Court struck it down. A state appeals court last week blocked another Evers order limiting the size of public indoor gatherings. Wisconsin canceled its scheduled game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst had tested positive for COVID-19. School officials said athletic director Barry Alvarez and chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. The game with Nebraska won’t be rescheduled.<\/p>\n