THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WILLHAPPEN
. >> THE STATE SPENT THE WEEK
% WAITING TO LEARN HOW THE
% WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT WOULD
% RULE IN THE LEGISLATURE'S
% LAWSUIT AGAINST THE EVERS'
% ADMINISTRATION OVER THE
% EXTENSION OF THE "SAFER AT HOME"
% ORDER THAT LASTS THROUGH
% MEMORIAL DAY.
% PERHAPS NO ONE IS MORE INVESTED
% IN THAT DECISION THAN THE
% GOVERNOR HIMSELF.
% LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND AHEAD
% OF THAT RULING, I TALKED WITH
% GOVERNOR TONY EVERS IN OUR
% WEEKLY ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW.
% AND, GOVERNOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH
% FOR JOINING US.
% >> THANKS, FREDERICA.
% APPRECIATE THAT.
% >> SO WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED FOR
% WITH THE SUPREME COURT DECISION?
% >> WELL, I BELIEVE THAT -- I
% BELIEVE WE'LL WIN.
% I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATE
% STATUTES, IF YOU LOOK AT
% PRECEDENT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
% FACTS IN THE CASE, I THINK WE
% WIN.
% NOW, THE COURT MAY DECIDE TO NOT
% USE THOSE SAME CRITERIA, BUT I
% THINK WE HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF
% WINNING.
% THE PROBLEM AROUND THE ISSUE OF
% IF WE LOSE, THERE ARE SO MANY
% MOVING PARTS.
% I MEAN, THERE'S THE CASE THAT
% THE REPUBLICANS BROUGHT AGAINST
% ME, AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER
% CASE THERE THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT
% FORTH BY A COUPLE WISCONSIN
% CITIZENS ON A FREEDOM OF
% RELIGION APPROACH OR ISSUE.
% SO IF THEY COMBINE THOSE TWO,
% THERE'S JUST SO MANY MOVING
% PARTS.
% IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO
% SAY IF THIS HAPPENS THIS IS THE
% DIRECTION WE'RE GOING TO GO,
% THIS IS GOING TO GO.
% WE'LL WAIT TILL THE DECISION
% COMING DOWN AND THEN WE'LL
% FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MOVE
% FORWARD.
% >> I KNOW ONE APPROACH THAT HAS
% SOME TRACTION ON THE PART OF THE
% BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS KIND OF A
% REGIONAL REOPENING.
% DO YOU THINK THAT CAN WORK?
% >> WELL, I THINK IT PROBABLY
% CAN, BUT I THINK THERE'S ALSO
% THINGS WE CAN DO ON THE
% STATEWIDE AREA.
% DOING THINGS IN SMALL GROUPS IN
% DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE,
% THERE'S SOME DOWNSIDES TO THAT.
% I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE IN
% DIFFERENT VENUES, BUT THE
% ABILITY FOR SMALLER COUNTIES AND
% SMALLER REGIONS, RURAL REGIONS
% OF THE STATE TO, IF THERE'S A
% SURGE IN THE VIRUS COMING
% FORWARD, THEY DON'T HAVE THE
% PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM THAT OTHER
% COUNTIES DO AND OTHER REGIONS
% DO.
% SO THERE'S DOWNSIDES TO IT, AND
% I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO LOOK AT
% THAT.
% BUT THAT IS NOT A WHOLE PLAN.
% A WHOLE PLAN WILL LOOK A LOT
% DIFFERENT.
% SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
% FINALLY SEEING A PLAN.
% REPUBLICANS SAID WHEN THEY FILED
% THE SUIT THAT THEY HAD A PLAN.
% AND THE ONLY THING I'VE HEARD SO
% FAR IS ABOUT DOING THINGS BY
% REGION AND THAT'S SOMETHING TO
% LOOK AT, BUT THAT IS NOT AN
% ENTIRE PLAN.
% >> I KNOW THAT THE REPUBLICAN
% LEADERSHIP IS SEEKING WHAT THEY
% CALL A "COLLABORATIVE APPROACH,"
% THEY TO WANT WORK WITH YOU ON
% THIS, AND YOU DID MEET WITH
% LEADERSHIP THIS WEEK.
% HOW DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO GO?
% >> WELL, I THINK IT WILL BE FINE
% GOING FORWARD.
% IF THEY HAVE A PLAN, I WELCOME
% THAT.
% WHEN WE MET, WE TALKED ABOUT
% REGIONAL APPROACH AND WE BOTH
% TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT WAYS
% OF DOING THAT.
% BUT THAT IN AND OF ITSELF ISN'T
% A PLAN.
% I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO HEAR
% ANY PLAN THAT THEY HAVE.
% AND GOING FORWARD AFTER THE
% SUPREME COURT DECISION, WE'LL
% FIGURE OUT WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO
% MOVE FORWARD.
% BUT IT WILL DEPEND ON HOW THAT
% DECISION IS WRITTEN, AND THERE
% ARE MANY, MANY MOVING PARTS THAT
% WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GOING
% TO BE RESOLVED.
% >> WELL, WOULD THERE BE ANY KIND
% OF NONSTARTERS FOR YOU IN TERMS
% OF ANY PLAN DIFFERENT FROM THE
% EXTENDED "SAFER AT HOME" OR THE
% BADGER BOUNCE BACK PLAN?
% >> WELL, I THINK WE ARE LOOKING
% TOWARDS DIALING -- MOVING THE
% DIAL AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
% IN FACT, WE DID JUST A COUPLE
% WEEKS AGO.
% SO THERE AREN'T THINGS I'M NOT
% WILLING TO LISTEN TO, BUT LET'S
% HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH
% WE HAVEN'T HAD YET.
% >> ONE THING THAT HAS PEOPLE
% ASKING WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE
% EDGING TOWARD A SOONER REOPENING
% THAN POTENTIALLY AFTER MEMORIAL
% IS THIS NEW GUIDANCE FROM THE
% WEDC ABOUT HOW BUSINESSES CAN
% PREPARE TO REOPEN.
% WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE IN THAT
% GUIDANCE?
% AND IS IT A MEASURE THAT YOU'RE
% MOVING CLOSER TO THAT?
% >> WELL, CERTAINLY IT'S A
% MEASURE THAT WE HAVE -- YOU
% KNOW, AS WE'VE FOCUSED ON
% TESTING AND THE THINGS IN THE
% PUBLIC SECTOR OR PUBLIC HEALTH
% SIDE, WE'VE REALLY BROUGHT A LOT
% TO THE TABLE ALREADY AND WE'RE
% MEETING A LOT OF THE METRICS.
% THEY'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE
% METRICS THAT WE SET OUT.
% SO CLEARLY WE DO BELIEVE WE'RE
% GOING TO BE OPENING SOME ASPECTS
% OF THE BUSINESS WORLD IN A SAFE
% AND ORDERLY AND THOUGHTFUL WAY.
% AND, YES, I THINK THAT'S AN
% INDICATION OF THAT.
% BUT IT'S ALSO AN INDICATION THAT
% WE BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE NEED TO
% START THINKING ABOUT WHAT THEIR
% BUSINESSES WILL LOOK LIKE AFTER
% THEY'RE OPEN.
% >> WHAT CONTINUES TO CONCERN YOU
% AROUND COVID-19 IN WISCONSIN?
% >> WELL, CERTAINLY THE SURGES
% WE'RE HAVING ACROSS THE STATE IN
% BROWN COUNTY IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
% AND, FRANKLY, I'M ALSO CONCERNED
% ABOUT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE THAT
% DISPROPORTIONATELY HAVE
% DIFFICULT HEALTH OUTCOMES
% BECAUSE OF THEIR LIVING IN
% POVERTY, POOR HOUSING.
% ALL THOSE THINGS ARE PLAYING OUT
% AGAIN IN THIS INSTANCE.
% AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE VERY
% INSISTENT THAT WE MAKE SURE WE
% HAVE THESE COMMUNITY TESTING
% OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE ALL
% ACROSS THE STATE, BUT ESPECIALLY
% WHERE WE HAVE BAD OUTCOMES.
% WE NEED THAT DATA TO MOVE
% FORWARD.
% >> WITH JUST ABOUT A HALF A
% MINUTE LEFT, WHAT IS ENCOURAGING
% FOR YOU ON THIS COVID-19 FRONT?
% >> WELL, WE'RE UP TO 14,000
% TESTS A DAY.
% I THINK THE LAST COUPLE DAYS
% WERE ABOUT 14,000.
% THAT'S HUGE.
% THE MORE TESTS WE DO -- AND
% WE'RE ALSO HIRING -- LOTS OF
% PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN DOING
% THE CONTACT TRACING.
% ALL THE THINGS THAT REALLY HELP
% US TAKE CARE OF SURGES AND MAKE
% SURE THAT WE DIMINISH THE ROLE
% OF THE VIRUS IN OUR LIFE.
% THOSE THINGS ARE IN PLACE.
% AND SO I FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT
% THAT.
% AND PEOPLE MAKING SURE THAT
% THEY'RE SOCIALLY DISTANT FROM
% PEOPLE AND STAYING HEALTHY.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% GOVERNOR TONY EVERS, WE NEED TO
% LEAVE IT THERE.
% THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
% >> THANKS, FREDERICA.