MILWAUKEE, WIS (CBS 58) – We’re considerably less than a week away from Christmas and COVID-19 is just not going anyplace whenever quickly. The virus is spreading across the state at a quick price. This can be a hard truth for quite a few who believed we’d be mask-significantly less and back again to standard this vacation time.

Sunday early morning, Dec. 19, 1,900 graduates from UWM received their degrees. Graduation ceremonies have been digital because the commence of the pandemic. This was the initial in-particular person ceremony at Panther Arena. They also streamed the ceremony for any person who favored to view practically.

The College of Wisconsin also held its 1st in-human being graduation ceremony Sunday early morning. Just in excess of 1,800 college students attained their levels within the Kohl Centre.

A lot of are questioning if these in-man or woman ceremonies will proceed as the COVID-19 virus spreads during Wisconsin. Wellbeing officials are making ready for what could be a mixture of Omicron, Delta and flu scenarios at the very same time. CBS 58 spoke with Dr. Monthly bill Hartman of UW Wellness who suggests the virus will be sticking all-around for quite some time.

“You know I would like I had that crystal ball mainly because I feel all of us want it to conclude. Some are making an attempt to get again to ordinary and neglect the masks. Unfortunately, from a general public wellbeing standpoint, masking is a thing that is continue to very essential and some thing that we should even now preserve in our back again pocket so that when we go to church when we go to the shop when we go on an airplane, we have that mask to maintain us safe,” mentioned Hartman.

Hartman says masks proceed to be a beneficial tool in the struggle in opposition to COVID-19.

“I do think that it is really essential when you are inside of a put to dress in a mask, especially when there are other folks in that natural environment that you don’t know. Masks carry on to be a pretty cheap, safe way to maintain that virus out of you..as well as blocking you if you have it from spreading that virus to somebody else,” spelled out Hartman.

Hartman is managing pediatric COVID-19…