Brown County's COVID-19 outbreak could pose challenges to neighboring Kewaunee County due to their connected economies. Department of Workforce Development regional economist Ryan Long shares that 974 residents of Kewaunee County commute to Brown County to work in goods-producing industries. That data comes from the US Census Bureau for the year 2017, the most recent available. The Green Bay outbreak began in meatpacking plants and other factories making those commuters a potential seed for local infections. Health Director Cindy Kinnard says contact tracing takes six to nine hours per positive COVID-19 case. If Kewaunee County’s total rises too quickly it may have to shift mitigation strategies.
