CITY OF MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's health department says it anticipates reducing capacity limits for businesses next week, as it reports a spike in COVID-19 cases in the city since last month.

Based on those negative trends, the department anticipates changing the public health order next week from Phase 6 to Phase 5, including reducing capacity limits.

But the health department's gating criteria that guides COVID-19-related limits does recommend 25 percent capacity limits for businesses that don't have approved safety plans with the city in Phase 5.

The department said it is hopeful that Wisconsin's transition to allowing anyone 16 years or older to get the COVID-19 vaccine this week will help push back against the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

For the first time, the supply of vaccines is "sufficient" to meet the demand at the FEMA-led Wisconsin Center vaccination site and at community sites across the city, the Milwaukee Health Department said.

Since late March, however, the Milwaukee Health Department expressed concern in a number of statements regarding the rise of cases and the spread of the variants.