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.