De Pere mayor diagnosed with COVID-19

DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – A Northeast Wisconsin mayor says he has tested positive for coronavirus.

In a Friday release, De Pere Mayor James Boyd says that “Despite my diligence and best efforts to follow social distancing, wear a mask and follow other recommended safety measures, I developed a cough and severe fatigue in recent days. I thought perhaps this was a minor allergy at first, or that I was simply tired, but it did not subside. At the urging of Debbie Armbruster (our health director) and our Health Department, in addition to my family, I went in for testing.”

Mayor Boyd says he learned of his diagnosis on Thursday.

He finished his statement, saying,

“As a member of this community, a former teacher of a generation of local students, and, fortunately, a friend to so many in this City, I want to be candid that this news was difficult. While a private matter, I figured the news of my diagnosis may reach others inevitably anyway, so my preference was to inform the community directly and openly myself. I will share with you also that, in the spectrum of how people seem to be afflicted with COVID-19, I feel I fall somewhere in the middle at the moment. I do not feel well, but I am resting and isolating myself. For those wondering: I want to note that no city operations will be affected because of this. More important, my thoughts are with the rest of the people I care about most – my family – and I hope that my diagnosis does not also impact their health in the coming days. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts. For anyone else affected by COVID-19, you have been, and will continue to be in mine. Last, as you may have noticed, a variety of factors have led to our overall cases continuing to rise in the City of De Pere. I urge you to not become complacent or take anything for granted. I hope by sharing this personal news, if you are experiencing even the mildest symptoms, you will consider testing. Please do your best to watch out for the safety and well-being of yourself and your neighbors. As a community, we need to continue doing what we’ve always done best in De Pere: press on together, and look out for one another.”

Mayor Boyd is just one of more than 110,000 Wisconsinites to test positive for the virus.