>> 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.