Kenosha County officials say they are cracking down on Illinois residents who are crossing the border to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin.
Kenosha Health Officer Jen Freiheit said in a statement that vaccination clinics are for people who live or work in Kenosha County who are age 65 and over or in the 1A category. Those currently eligible include health care workers, residents and staff in skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, EMTs, police officers, firefighters and corrections officers.
“We are trying our best to discourage non-residents and some might have slipped through, but we are working to crack down on that going forward,” Freiheit said, adding: “While we want to get as many shots in arms as possible, Kenosha County residents are our priority.”
Freiheit’s comments come after a woman contacted the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to report some family members, including a couple in their 50s who live in the Chicago suburbs and don’t work in Wisconsin, were able to get the vaccine in Kenosha.
Jennifer Miller, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health Services, said vaccinators are encouraged to check eligibility before administering shots.
Wisconsin reported 10 new COVID-19-related deaths on Saturday and 752 new cases of the virus, bringing the totals to 6,161 deaths and 554,800 cases since the pandemic began.
As of Friday, a total of 940,205 vaccines had been administered in the state.
