State Will Use Hotel As Isolation Facility

A hotel near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport will be home to one of two voluntary isolation facilities announced Tuesday by Governor Tony Evers.

The Super 8 hotel at 5253 S. Howell Ave. will be converted to a 110-room isolation facility for those experiencing mild symptoms from COVID-19.

“These voluntary self-isolation sites help respond to the pandemic in two ways. First, they will provide a valuable resource for those who have mild symptoms of COVID-19, leaving valuable hospital space available for others who need it, and they also provide a safe place for people to stay so they don’t spread COVID-19 to others,” said Evers in a statement.

Food and linens will be provided, but not medical services. The state will check on patients every four hours via phone during the day. Those needing more care will be referred to a hospital. Security will be provided by the Wisconsin National Guard and private contractors.

Individuals seeking to use the facilities must be referred by a physician or public health official. People are expected to stay approximately 14 days, including three days after they become asymptomatic.

The Lowell Center, a hotel and conference center on the UW-Madison campus, is the other state-run isolation center. Both facilities are expected to open Wednesday.

Occupancy rates in hotels have plummeted as a result of the pandemic. The Super 8 hotel, built in 1986, is owned by Dev Enterprise LLC according to city records. Dev Enterprises lists Himanshu Parikh as its registered agent in state records.

The Super 8 joins a Milwaukee-run facility that opened Monday in Clare Hall on the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary campus. The campus is located on the Milwaukee-St. Francis border along Lake Michigan. The two facilities are approximately four miles apart.

The Army Corps of Engineers visited Wisconsin State Fair Park and the Wisconsin Center Monday to study the facilities’ suitability as potential field hospitals.