Coronavirus (COVID-19)

To our City of Waukesha Business Owners and Residents:

On August 1st Governor Evers’ Emergency Order #1 goes into effect and requires face coverings for every individual, age five and older, while in an enclosed space (details here).  We ask that our business owners and residents respect this order and to make every reasonable effort to abide by the Governor’s directive.  

We ask residents if you see someone not wearing a mask, please DO NOT call the police.  Some people have health conditions that make wearing a face mask difficult or dangerous.  Our Police Department does not have the resources to follow through on such complaints and will not be responding to those cases.

Please keep in mind that private businesses and public buildings should now be requiring a mask to gain admittance to their facility.  However, as previously stated there are age and health exceptions to the wearing of a mask.  If a facility owner feels there is a blatant failure to follow the mask mandate by a customer and a disruption occurs, our police officers will respond to ensure a safe conclusion for everyone involved.  It is always the preference of the City of Waukesha to seek voluntary compliance among our businesses and residents.

All residents are asked to continue to follow all the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus including:

  • Wash your hands often
  • Avoid close contact with those who are sick and with other people outside of your home
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
  • Cover coughs and sneezes
  • Clean and disinfect regularly

You can review all the CDC guidelines here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html 

The City will continue to work closely with the Waukesha County Health Department on responding and preventing the spread of the virus in our community.

Closures, Cancellations and Service Modifications:

Public Meetings

  • The City is conducting necessary meetings virtually. You can find all the meeting agendas and information on accessing the meetings here. 
  • There have been numerous security problems in opening up meetings for anyone to “enter” a virtual meeting. The City has developed a specific process in order to allow the public to provide comments, while also making sure that the meeting is conducted appropriately. More information on public comment is available here. 

City Buildings

  • City buildings are currently open to the public. 
  • Prior to entering any City building, please review the following:
  • Make sure that it is necessary for you to enter the building. Most City business can be conducted online (www.waukesha-wi.gov), by e-mail or by phone.  
  • Do not enter any City building if you feel unwell or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
  • When in City buildings practice physical distancing (6ft between you and others) at all times.
  • Visitors are required to wear a face covering inside City buildings in accordance with the Governor's Emergency Order #1. 
  • Wash or sanitize your hands after touching surfaces  

Clerk/Treasurer’s Office

Waukesha Parks, Recreation and Forestry

  • City Playgrounds and restrooms are open
  • Tennis Courts and Pickleball Courts are currently open for singles play.
  • The following Community Special Events are cancelled: Tribute Tuesday Concerts, Civic Band Concerts, Jazz Express Concerts, Neighborhood Beer Gardens, Oktoberfest, Operation Honor: A Salute to Veterans. Alternative plans are being developed for re-imagined community wide events
  • After careful consideration, the City has made the difficult decision to not open the Horeb Springs Aquatic Center this year. Buchner pool was previously planned to be closed for the year for construction of a new pool.
  • Building, Shelter and Special Area Rentals – Reservations on and after May 28 may be held.  Capacity levels for each facility have been adjusted to meet social distancing guidelines.  Permit holders will be contacted by department staff to provide options for holding or cancelling a reservation.  Group size must be 50 or less or meet new capacity limits. Capacity will be re-evaluated as we move through the summer.
  • Baseball / Softball – The City will be providing permitted local organizations with specific permit conditions for the use of fields.  Fields will be available for practice beginning on June 1.
  • Adult Softball and Kickball Leagues – The City will resume leagues beginning the week of June 8 with additional guidelines in place for the safety of facility users.    
  • WPRF Youth Baseball, Softball and T-ball will begin practice the week of June 8 with games starting the week of June 22 following safety considerations.

  • Recreation Programs – class / group size has been limited to meet social distancing guidelines and safety considerations have been put in place; some programming has been canceled as social distancing guidelines could not be met.  WPRF Zoom opportunities and WPRF Virtual Recreation Center will offer additional enrichment opportunities to the community.

  • Summer Activity Guide is out: https://waukesha-wi.gov/462/Activity-Guides 

  • Daily activities are being posted on the City’s facebook/twitter feed at 3pm. 
  • More information: https://waukesha-wi.gov/427/Parks-Recreation-Forestry or 262-524-3737.

Waukesha Public Library

Municipal Court

  • To prevent the spread of COVID-19 Masks will be required to be worn at all times during Court proceedings as well as any business conducted within City Hall. You are also asked to bring your own pen. Court will be held at the Waukesha Park/Rec & Foresty Building 1900 Aviation Drive, Waukesha, WI 53188. The Judge has ordered that only 5 people will be allowed in the Court room at one time
  • JUVENILE COURT ONLY will be held at 201 Delafield Street, Waukesha, WI 53188
    Masks will be required to be worn at all times during Court proceedings and you are asked to bring your own pen.
  • More information: https://waukesha-wi.gov/411/Municipal-Court, 262-524-3705

Community Development

Police/Fire

  • Residents should call 911 only for life-threatening emergencies. If you need to call 911, tell our emergency dispatchers if you have been diagnosed with or reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID-19.

Public Works

Transit

  • Waukesha Metro Transit weekday service will return to its regular schedule starting Tuesday, May 26. Weekend service will continue to operate as scheduled.
  • Effective Saturday, August 29th, 2020 fares will again be collected on Waukesha Metro and Metrolift.  In addition, passengers are to resume entering through the front door of the bus to pay the fare. After paying the fare, passengers can use the touchless sanitizer mounted inside the bus.   
  • Per the Governor's order effective Saturday, August 1st all passengers 5 years and older on a Waukesha Metro bus, inside the Transit Center, on the concourse waiting for a bus at the bus bays or waiting inside a bus shelter, will be required to wear a face mask or face covering that covers their mouth and nose.   Passengers with a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a face covering are not required to wear a mask. Free face masks are available at the Transit Center office from 8 am to 5 pm Monday – Friday. Face masks are also available on the bus. 
  • Additional cleaning practices are in place for the buses.
  • More information: https://waukesha-wi.gov/631/Transit

Water Utility

Steps we are asking you to take:

City Press Releases
Links to Important Information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Steps we are taking as a City:

  •  City officials are working closely with the Waukesha County Public Health Department. The Public Health Department is the best source for local information on COVID-19.
  • The City does have an Emergency Management Plan which includes a response for pandemic outbreaks which we are following.
  • The City has declared a State of Emergency. This declaration is in line with action taken by the Federal, State and County levels of government. This declaration enables City officials to exercise powers in an expedited manner at the local level in the interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the City of Waukesha.
  • The Fire Department, Police Department, other first responders and all Departments in the City are working to keep the public safe and respond to this crisis.