Abstract The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s nullification of a carefully crafted, statewide regulatory scheme led to the substitution of a motley collection of asynchronous, uncoordinated local reopening plans that ultimately facilitated a resurgence of COVID-19. The distinct paths of epidemic containment and subsequent resurgence in Wisconsin’s two most populous counties, Milwaukee and Dane, can be directly mapped into their respective volumes of bar traffic. A seemingly small relaxation of social distancing rules can result in a relatively large increase in the incidence of new infections. This study relies exclusively on publicly available, aggregate health data that contain no individual identifiers. The author has no competing interests and no funding sources to declare. This article represents to the sole opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National Bureau of Economic Research, Eisner Health, or any other organization.
COVID-19, Bar Crowding, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court: A Non-Linear Tale of Two Counties