% >> GOVERNOR TONY EVERS THIS WEEK
% EXTENDED HIS "SAFER AT HOME"
% ORDER UNTIL MAY 26.
% EVEN THOUGH, HE SAYS REOPENING
% THE STATE WON'T BE LIKE FLIPPING
% A SWITCH.
% IT WOULD LIKELY BE GRADUAL AND
% DEPENDS ON HAVING ENOUGH
% TESTING, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
% EQUIPMENT AND BEEFED UP CONTACT
% TRACING.
% GOVERNOR EVERS HAS AGREED
% TO JOIN US EACH FRIDAY.
% THIS AFTERNOON, HE JOINED US
% FROM THE EXECUTIVE RESIDENCE.
% GOVERNOR EVERS, THANK YOU SO
% MUCH FOR BEING WITH US.
% >> WELCOME, FREDERICA.
% THANKS SO MUCH.
% >> WELL, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL
% YOU THAT YOUR EXTENSION OF THE
% "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER
% IS CONTROVERSIAL.
% WE HAVE PROTESTS PLANNED FOR
% AROUND THE CAPITOL NEXT WEEK.
% WE'VE GOT MAJORITY REPUBLICAN
% LEGISLATORS SAYING THAT THEY'RE
% TALKING ABOUT FILING A LAWSUIT.
% WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
% UPSET AROUND THIS?
% >> WELL, MY REACTION IS WE NEED
% TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE
% SCIENCE.
% I MEAN, WE'VE ALWAYS TALKED
% ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE NEEDED TO
% REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT
% WE HAVE AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED.
% I MEAN, THE FIRST ORDER, AND
% PEOPLE DID FOLLOW IT, SAFE AT
% HOME, THEY'RE DOING IT, WE SAVED
% LIVES BY DOING IT, BUT WE STILL
% HAVEN'T REACHED THAT POINT WHERE
% WE CAN SAY IT'S HEADED IN THE
% OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
% SO WE -- FRANKLY, FROM A SCIENCE
% POINT OF VIEW, WE HAD NO CHOICE.
% AND THE SECOND THING IS -- AND I
% THINK SOME PEOPLE FORGET ABOUT
% THIS, BUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT THIS
% ORDER, THIS ORDER IS ABOUT
% MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING
% TO A BETTER PLACE HEALTH-WISE,
% BUT WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT HOW
% THIS GETS US TO THE POINT WHERE
% WE CAN START TO REOPEN PARTS OF
% OUR ECONOMY.
% SO IT'S BOTH THESE THINGS
% HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.
% SO PEOPLE, POLITICIANS HAVE TO
% DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.
% I'M FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT
% WE DO THE RIGHT THING
% HEALTH-WISE FOR OUR STATE AND
% THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR ECONOMY.
% >> NOW, YOU SAY THAT THREE
% THINGS ARE NEEDED TO REOPEN THE
% STATE: MASSIVE EXPANSION OF
% TESTING CAPACITY, SUFFICIENT
% PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
% FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND
% GREATLY EXPANDED CONTACT
% TRACING.
% DESCRIBE WHY HAVING THESE THINGS
% MET WILL MEAN THAT IT IS SAFE
% THEN TO GO ABOUT OUR BUSINESS.
% >> YEAH.
% AND I'LL JUST HAVE TO SAY THOSE
% ARE THE SAME THINGS THAT WE SAW
% PRESIDENT TRUMP TALK ABOUT IN
% HIS COMMENTS AND THE CDC'S
% COMMENTS THE OTHER DAY.
% SO THESE AREN'T NEW THINGS.
% BUT WHY THEY'RE IMPORTANT IS
% THIS:
% AT SOME POINT IN TIME, WE WILL
% HAVE A CHANCE TO RAPIDLY REDUCE
% THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE
% STILL POSITIVELY IMPACTED -- OR
% HAVE A POSITIVE TEST.
% BUT WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS BE
% READY FOR THOSE -- UNTIL WE HAVE
% A VACCINE, THAT VIRUS IS NOT
% GOING AWAY, SO WE NEED TO MAKE
% SURE THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN
% PLACE SO THAT WHEN WE DO FIND
% SOMEONE, WE HAVE THE TESTING,
% WE'LL DO MUCH MORE TESTING THAN
% WE DO NOW, THEN WE CAN USE THOSE
% CONTACT TRACERS TO FOLLOW UP
% WITH THAT PERSON, FIND OUT WHO
% THEY'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH AND
% TALKING TO AND EXPOSING, AND GET
% THOSE PEOPLE 14 DAYS ISOLATION
% SO THAT WE CAN START TO DO THIS
% IN A WAY THAT'S IMPORTANT.
% NOW, THE EQUIPMENT IS THE SAME
% THING.
% WE NEED THAT FOR TESTING, PEOPLE
% THAT DO THE TESTS.
% BUT WE ALSO NEED THAT SUPPLY OF
% EQUIPMENT FOR OUR BUSINESS
% COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WHEN THEY
% REOPEN, THEIR WORKPLACE IS GOING
% TO LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT THAN IT
% DOES NOW AND THEY'RE GOING TO
% NEED SOME OF THAT EQUIPMENT
% ALSO.
% >> BACK TO TESTING.
% WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A PROBLEM
% WITH HAVING ENOUGH TESTS TO GET
% TO THIS PLACE WHERE YOU AND THE
% HEALTH SECRETARY-DESIGNEE WANT
% US TO BE.
% WHY DO WE HAVE THAT PROBLEM WITH
% NUMBER OF TESTS?
% >> WELL, THERE'S SOME
% COMMUNICATION ISSUES HERE BUT WE
% ARE RAMPING THAT UP AS WE SPEAK.
% WE SENT 2,000 TESTS TODAY TO
% GREEN BAY.
% WE'RE RAMPING IT UP ON OUR
% NATIVE AMERICAN AND NATIONS
% ACROSS THE STATE ALSO.
% SO WE'RE GETTING IN A GOOD
% PLACE.
% CERTAINLY WE HAD TROUBLE GETTING
% THE TESTING MATERIALS, BUT WE
% HAVE TO USE WHAT WE HAVE WISELY
% AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING
% RIGHT NOW.
% BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE
% AND THE OTHER STATES THAT WE'RE
% WORKING WITH ABSOLUTELY NEED
% MORE TESTING MATERIALS.
% I THINK WE HAVE THE TESTING LABS
% IN PLACE.
% IT'S THE MATERIALS THAT ARE THE
% PROBLEM.
% >> AS YOU SAY, YOU HAVE ENTERED
% INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER
% MIDWEST GOVERNORS ON WAYS TO
% REOPEN THE ECONOMY.
% WHY THIS REGIONAL APPROACH?
% >> WELL, CERTAINLY IT SENDS A
% MESSAGE TO PEOPLE THAT WE'RE ALL
% ABOUT THE SAME THING: HAVING
% THESE CONTACT TRACERS IN PLACE,
% MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH
% EQUIPMENT AND TESTING MATERIALS.
% AS A GROUP, WE REPRESENT
% MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AND IT'S A
% BIPARTISAN THING AND SO HAVING
% THAT UNIFIED VOICE.
% AND THEN, FRANKLY, THE WHITE
% HOUSE AND THE CDC FOLLOWED IN
% OUR FOOTSTEPS OR VICE VERSA, BUT
% WE'RE ALL TOGETHER ON MAKING
% SURE THAT THOSE ISSUES ARE FRONT
% AND CENTER.
% AND I SEE THAT FROM BUSINESS
% PEOPLE, TOO, AND BUSINESS
% ORGANIZATIONS, MAKING THE SAME
% KIND OF PRE-CONDITIONS FOR
% GETTING WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
% SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO
% SPEAK IN ONE VOICE AND, FRANKLY,
% I THINK IT TELLS PEOPLE THAT
% WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS AND
% IT'S A BIPARTISAN THING AND NOT
% JUST A BUNCH OF DEMS FIGURING
% THIS OUT.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% GOVERNOR TONY EVERS, AGAIN, WE
% GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU JOINING
% US, JOINING US EACH FRIDAY HERE
% ON "HERE AND NOW."
% THANKS VERY MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
% APPRECIATE IT.