WISCONSIN.
GOVERNOR EVERS' ORDER REQUIRES
WISCONSINITES TO WEAR MASKS
INDOORS UNTIL THE END OF
SEPTEMBER.
THERE ARE CONTINUED SIGNALS FROM
REPUBLICANS AT THE STATE CAPITOL
REGARDING A LEGISLATIVE
CHALLENGE TO THIS MANDATE.
THIS WEEK STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS
REPORTED HIGH ACTIVITY LEVELS OF
THE VIRUS IN 66 OUT OF THE
STATE'S 72 COUNTIES.
GOVERNOR TONY EVERS JOINS US
AGAIN THIS WEEK.
AND, GOVERNOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS, FREDERICA.
APPRECIATE IT.
>> WELL, WHAT ARE YOUR PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS TELLING YOU
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOUR MASK
MANDATE IS YET SLOWING THE
SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN WISCONSIN
AS WE NEAR 1,000 DEATHS AND WE
ARE LIKELY TO SURPASS THAT THIS
WEEKEND.
>> YES.
WHAT A SAD MARK ON THE COUNTRY
AND THE STATE.
IT'S JUST TOO MUCH TO ALL TAKE
IN.
BUT WE'VE HAD GOOD RESPONSE TO
THE MASKING, WHETHER IT'S BEEN
FROM BUSINESS LEADERS OR FROM
SCHOOL PEOPLE OR GENERAL PUBLIC.
OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO
SAY WISCONSIN IS VERY
INDEPENDENT.
I'M ONE OF THEM.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
MASKS SAVE LIVES.
MASKS SLOW DOWN THE
TRANSMISSION.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S
A MINOR THING FOR US TO DO.
AND SO I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT
THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A
DIFFERENCE.
IT'S DIFFICULT TO POINT A METRIC
AT THIS POINT IN TIME, BUT I'M
CONFIDENT THAT IT IS BEING
SUCCESSFUL AND WE'RE VERY
HOPEFUL THAT PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY
NEED TO DO.
WE CAN SLOW DOWN THE
TRANSMISSION OF THIS VIRUS.
>> WHY DON'T YOU THINK A
REPUBLICAN CHALLENGE TO YOUR
MANDATE AND EMERGENCY ORDER HAS
YET MATERIALIZED?
>> THAT I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK
IT'S HORRIBLE PUBLIC POLICY FOR
THEM TO DO THAT.
AND, FRANKLY, I THINK IT'S ALSO
HORRIBLE POLITICS.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
UNDERSTAND HOW SIMPLE AND
IMPORTANT THIS IS.
AND HOPEFULLY THEY'RE GETTING
THE IDEA, TOO.
BUT IF THEY'RE INSISTENT ON
COMING IN, IT WOULD BE A HUGE
MISTAKE AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC
HEALTH.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THE GOP
WARNS ABOUT, THOUGH, IS THAT YOU
WILL USE YOUR ORDER TO GO AHEAD
AND CLOSE SCHOOLS TO IN-PERSON
LEARNING.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR TO YOU DO
THAT?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I'VE BEEN
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS ALL ACROSS
THE STATE, TALKING TO THEM.
SO THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF
CONVERSATION THERE.
AND I'VE BEEN FAIRLY HAPPY WITH
THE PROCESS THEY'RE USING.
THEY'RE USING SOME OF THE IN
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION, THEIR LOCAL PUBLIC
HEALTH PEOPLE.
AND SO IT WOULD BE JUST AN
EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE FOR
ME TO INTERVENE.
ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT
I'VE TALKED TO HAS A VIRTUAL AND
REMOTE OPTION SO THAT IF PARENTS
OR KIDS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, THEY
HAVE THAT OPTION.
AND I KNOW SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO
DO A BETTER JOB OF THAT THAN
WHEN THEY WERE SO RUSHED IN THE
SPRING.
>> WOULD YOU EVER DO IT, THOUGH?
>> I CAN'T IMAGINE.
I MEAN, YOU NEVER SAY NEVER.
IF OUR POSITIVITY RATE GOES UP
TO 20% OR 30%, OBVIOUSLY THAT
WOULD BRING OUR ENTIRE ECONOMY
TO A HALT, INCLUDING SCHOOLING.
BUT I THINK WE'RE IN A PLACE NOW
THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT LOTS
OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE FIGURED
OUT AND I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
WE HAVE KIDS GOING TO SCHOOL
RIGHT NOW IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN THAT ARE IN YEAR-ROUND
SCHOOLING.
SO I DON'T WANT TO DISMISS THE
PROBLEMS.
THERE ARE -- IT'S -- IT'S NOT A
RISK-FREE ENVIRONMENT.
BUT I THINK PEOPLE ARE BEING
VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT IT
SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
>> TOWARD THAT END, YOU HAVE
RELEASED $32 MILLION TO THE UW
SYSTEM TO CONDUCT TESTING ON
CAMPUSES.
WHAT OTHER HELP MIGHT BE COMING
THEIR WAY?
>> WELL, CERTAINLY THEY'RE PART
OF OUR ECOSYSTEM.
WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO HELP THEM.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT
OF MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE
TO THE UW SYSTEM.
BUT WE'RE IN CONSTANT
COLLABORATION WITH THEM, AND IF
THEY HAVE OTHER NEEDS, WE'LL BE
ABLE TO SEEK -- WORK WITH THEM.
CONTACT TRACING I THINK IS GOING
TO BE AN ISSUE AND I THINK WE
CAN BE HELPFUL THERE, TOO.
>> ALL RIGHT.
BRIEFLY, BECAUSE OF THE
CORONAVIRUS, AS YOU WELL KNOW,
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION IN
MILWAUKEE HAS ALL BUT COLLAPSED.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO JOE
BIDEN DECIDING NOT TO ACCEPT HIS
NOMINATION HERE?
>> WELL, IT WAS -- NOT -- IT WAS
-- IT WAS NOT THAT IT WASN'T
EXPECTED.
CLEARLY WE HAVE A PANDEMIC GOING
ON IN THIS COUNTRY, AND SO HIM
NOT BEING THERE ISN'T THE ONLY
REASON IT'S NOT GOING TO BE
THERE.
IT'S JUST THAT A PANDEMIC LEADS
ITSELF TO MAKING SURE THAT WE
HAVE TO BE AS THOUGHTFUL AS
POSSIBLE.
AND PEOPLE WERE.
AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE A
VIRTUAL EVENT.
AND IT WILL BE FINE.
BUT IT'S NOT FINE IN THAT A
PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED US TO -- THE
MILWAUKEE AREA WOULD HAVE HAD A
SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC BOOST FROM
THIS.
AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT IT'S THE WISEST THING TO DO,
AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
DOING IT IN A VIRTUAL WAY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
GOVERNOR TONY EVERS, THANKS SO
MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANKS.
>> NEW METROPOLITAN AREA TODAY