On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 15, the Lincoln County Health Department (LCHD) reported an outbreak of COVID-19 in Lincoln County at Throw Line Drinkery in Merrill, with two individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 associated with this bar. These individuals were at the establishment during a time they were contagious and possibly spreading the virus.
LCHD has been working with Throw Line Drinkery to notify staff and the public and assure proper disinfection and best practices are being followed moving forward. Currently the bar is closed for deep cleaning.
Individuals who were at Throw Line Drinkery and did not practice physical distancing on Friday, July 10, Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12 are asked to stay at home as much as possible and monitor for symptoms for 14 days. If you must leave your home, please wear a face covering, maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from others, and practice good hand hygiene. Individuals in need of additional guidance can complete the WI COVID-19 Screening Tool at no cost. A trained medical professional will follow up with you to review your results and answer your questions.
Anyone who develops symptoms should contact their healthcare provider about being tested. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, fatigue, body/muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.
LCHD is working to confirm positive cases and identify close contacts linked to this outbreak. Those who tested positive are self-isolating, and close contacts have been instructed to quarantine.
LCHD encourages the public to monitor our COVID-19 Outbreaks and Investigations webpage for your risk potential at https://co.lincoln.wi.us/covid19. LCHD updates this page with places identified in Lincoln County, through disease investigations, in which a high risk exposure to COVID-19 may have occurred. Establishments are listed for 14 days on the webpage after the last day the exposure occurred at the establishment.
LCHD will continue to update our Facebook page Monday – Friday, with current COVID-19 case counts. This is a rapidly evolving situation. For the latest information about COVID-19 in Lincoln County visit: https://co.lincoln.wi.us/covid19 or follow us on Facebook. You can also visit the CDC’s website or the DHS website.