A nurse with Downers Grove- and Milwaukee-based Advocate Aurora Health has issued a public apology for not wearing a face mask after she was interviewed by a news crew at a Milwaukee-area bar.
Katie Koutski was interviewed by NBC affiliate WTMJ Wednesday night at Limanski’s Pub - one of the bars that opened just hours after the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the statewide stay-at-home order.
"I have a toddler at home, and I’m a full-time nurse so it’s been very stressful and hard to not be able to go out and be with my friends and family at the bars,” Koutski told a reporter while not wearing a face mask at the busy bar.
One day later, Advocate Aurora Health issued a statement saying the organization is "disappointed" given the ongoing education and safety measures it's committed to.
In a statement issued Friday by the hospital system, Koutski said she visited her sister's bar to help with the reopening and attempt to restarted her business which was devastated by the pandemic.
"I’d like to express my regret for not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing while there," she said. "It was a lapse in judgment on my part to not ensure I had my mask prior to leaving my house and to not maintain social distancing – even during the interview requested by the reporter."
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The nurse said while she isn't exhibiting symptoms, she plans to quarantine for seven days. Koutski will also undergo a standard screening before returning to work.
