MILWAUKEE COUNTY — As positive cases of the coronavirus increase in Milwaukee County, we’re starting to see that no community is immune. However, local organizations are conducting outreach in hopes of curbing the spread of the virus.
Camille Mays feels there’s no time for waiting. She says people need to act now against the coronavirus.
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“It’s coming and it’s going to kick a lot of doors in, and we have to stop it,” Mays said.
She worries for her community and her family who are more at risk. Camille, her son and grandson have asthma, and her grandmother is 95 years old. She also knows what it’s like to lose a loved one after her other son was murdered last November.
“Do you want your older loved ones or your compromised loved ones or kids in your family to die? You know that’s what it comes down to,” Mays said.
The community activist lives in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood on the north side, the area with the most cases in the city.
Camille is working with local organizations, city leaders and other grassroots leaders to bring awareness to residents.
“What to do if someone gets sick, what to do if you know I have to self-quarantine,” Camille said.
However, we’re starting to see more positive coronavirus cases pop up on the city’s southside too.
If you look at the county’s heat map on March 21st compared to the 29th, you’ll see more cases filling in on the south side.
Tammy Rivera of the Southside Organizing Center said they’ve dedicated a section of their website to accurate information and resources on the coronavirus.
They have also increased their staff to connect with residents by phone and online.
“They need us more now than ever,” Rivera said. “All we can do is continue to increase the ways we reach people.”
Through this kind of outreach, Rivera and Mays hope to get their messages to the community.
“No, everyone’s not dying. No, it’s not a death sentence, we don’t want to be hopeless, but it can happen, and we don’t want to take that chance,” Mays said.
The Southside Organizing Center will be holding live community forums on their Facebook page, starting this Wednesday, April 1.
Mays said she is also working with local organizations and other leaders on putting together a new PSA.