STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE TO TAKE
EFFECT SATURDAY AND THROUGH
SEPTEMBER.
BUT REPUBLICAN LEGISLATIVE
LEADERS SAY THEY ARE READY TO
CONVENE TO OVERTURN THE
EMERGENCY ORDER THAT INCLUDES
THE MASK RULE.
REPUBLICANS IN THE LEGISLATURE
AS WELL AS SOME LOCAL AND COUNTY
OFFICIALS AROUND THE STATE SAY
THE ORDER, LIKE THE
ADMINISTRATION'S "SAFER AT HOME"
MANDATE THAT WAS STRUCK DOWN BY
THE SUPREME COURT, IS ANOTHER
EXECUTIVE OVERREACH.
WE WILL HEAR FROM THE WASHINGTON
COUNTY EXECUTIVE IN A FEW
MINUTES.
BUT UNDER THE ORDER, STARTING
TOMORROW, MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR
ANYONE FIVE YEARS OF AGE OR
OLDER WHILE IP INDOORS EXCEPT AT A
PRIVATE RESIDENCE.
SCHOOL STAFF AND STUDENTS ARE
ALSO REQUIRED TO RETURN MASKS.
VIOLATING THE ORDER COMES WITH
FINES OF UP TO $TOO 0.
>> I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN THOSE
SHOULD HAVE DEMANDED A PIECE
MEAL RATHER THAN A STATEWIDE
APPROACH AND SAID WE DO NOT NEED
A STATEWIDE EFFORT TO RESPOND TO
THIS CRIES.
WE TRIED THEIR WAY.
IT'S NOT WORKING.
STATEWIDE EFFORTS TO COMBAT THIS
VIRUS HAVE WORKED BEFORE SO
THAT'S WHAT WE ANNOUNCED HERE
TODAY.
SO TODAY I DECLARED A NEW
STATEWIDE PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCY AS WE BATTLE THE NEW
SURGE OF COVID-19 ACROSS OUR
STATE.
I ALSO ORDERED NEW FACE COVERING
ORDER THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT
ON AUGUST 1, GIVE FOLKS ENOUGH
TIME TO GET FACE COVERINGS IF
THEY DON'T ALREADY HAVE THEM.
ALTHOUGH WE'RE FACING NEW AND
DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAN WE
WERE A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE ONE
THING THAT HASN'T CHANGED IS
WE'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO THE
SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
EXPERTS TO GUIDE OUR
DECISION-MAKING.
FOLKSFOLKS AND SCIENCE EXPERTS ARE
TELLING US MASKS SAVE LIVES.
MY MASK PROTECTS YOU.
YOUR MASK PROTECTS ME.
OUR MASKS WORK BEST WHEN WE BOTH
WEAR THEM TOGETHER.
THIS VIRUS HAS SHOWN UP IN EVERY
COUNTY IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN, SO IT'S NOT LIKE IF
THERE'S A COUNTY LINE THERE THAT
THE VIRUS STOPS, NOR IS IT
STOPPING PEOPLE FROM GOING TO
WORK IN A DIFFERENT COUNTY OR
WHATEVER.
THIS SURGE IS A STATEWIDE SURGE.
ONE OF THE COUNTIES WE HAD VERY
FEW CASES JUST EXPLODED WITH A
NUMBER OF CASES THAT THEY NOW
HAVE.
AND SO A STATEWIDE EFFORT TO
WEAR A MASK IS REALLY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THE VIRUS DOES NOT KNOW
BOUNDARIES, EVEN THOUGH WE DO A
LOT OF LOOKING AT DATA AROUND
DIFFERENT COUNTIES.
BUT EVERY COUNTY IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN IS IMPACTED BY THIS
VIRUS.
I KNOW FOLKS ARE WORRIED THAT
THE ORDER I'M ISSUING TODAY KEEP
PEOPLE -- TO KEEP PEOPLE HEALTHY
AND SAFE WILL IMMEDIATELY BE
CHALLENGED BY REPUBLICANS IN THE
COURT.
I KNOW FOLKS ARE WORRIED ANOTHER
RULING COULD JUST CREATE MORE
CHAOS AS WE RESPOND TO THIS
PANDEMIC.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT THAT, TOO.
BUT MY JOB AS GUFER IS GOVERNOR TO DO DO
WHAT'S BEST FOR THE PEL OF OUR
STATE AND DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO
KEEP PEOPLE HEALTHY AND SAFE.
>> REPUBLICANS AT THE STATE
CAPITOL IMMEDIATELY VOICED
OPPOSITION TO THE MASK ORDER
WITH LEADERS SAYING THEY ARE
READY TO CONVENE THE LEGISLATURE
TO OVERTURN THE ORDER.
PEOPLE LIKE THE WASHINGTON
COUNTY EXECUTIVE ARE OPPOSED AS
WELL, JOSH SCHOEMANN.
HE JOINS US FROM WEST BEND.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> YOU SAY THE PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCY IS AN EXECUTIVE POWER
GRAB AND YOU CALL IT DANGEROUS.
HOW SO?
>> YEAH.
MY MAJOR CONCERN IS WITH THE
EMERGENCY ORDER ITSELF.
THE MASK MANDATE, YOU KNOW,
WE'VE BEEN URGING PEOPLE TO WEAR
MASKS FOR QUITE SOME TIME OVER
THE COURSE OF THE LAST SELF
WEEKS OUT OF LOVE FOR THEIR
NEIGHBORS AND WE FEEL THEY'VE
BEEN DOING THAT.
REALLY THIS EMERGENCY ORDER
ALLOWS FOR MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN
THAT.
IF YOU READ THE SPECIFICS, IT
GOES WELL BEYOND THAT, EVEN TO
THE AUGUST 11 ELECTION AND
THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
I'M CONCERNED WE'RE GOING BACK
TO THE SAME PLACE WE WERE IN
MARCH AND I'M NOT SURE THAT'S
APPROPRIATE AND I HOPE THE
LEGISLATURE HIEWR
LEGISLATURE STEPS?
>> DO YOU OPPOSE MANDATING
MASKS?
>> YEAH.
I THINK THAT PEOPLE REALLY HAVE
DONE A VERY NICE JOB OF GETTING
BETTER AT WEARING MASKS.
MYSELF INCLUDED.
IT'S CERTAINLY TAKING A BIT OF A
CHANGE CULTURALLY AND
PSYCHOLOGICALLY.
AND WE'VE SEEN BUSINESSES ACROSS
THE STATE AND ACROSS WASHINGTON
COUNTY WHO HAVE PUT THEIR OWN
RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE BASED ON
WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM.
I THINK THAT WAS WORKING.
AND NOW HAVING A MANDATE WITH A
FORFEITURE TIED TO IT IS NOT THE
RIGHT APPROACH.
>> WILL YOUR COUNTY SHERIFF BE
AMONG THOSE WHO WILL NOT ENFORCE
IT?
>> YES.
WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH
BOTH OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND
OUR COUNTY SHERIFF AS WELL AS
OUR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER AND IT
WILL NOT BE ENFORCED BY COUNTY
OFFICIALS.
>> WHAT ABOUT HOW THE GOVERNOR
SAYS THAT HE IS FOLLOWING THE
SCIENCE AND THERE IS
UNCONTROLLED COMMUNITY SPREAD OF
COVID-19 AND HE JUST WANTS TO
PROTECT PEOPLE?
>> I UNDERSTAND HIS APPROACH.
I THINK WHAT HE'S ATTEMPT TO GO
DO WAS GETTING PEOPLE TO WEAR A
MASK.
I UNDERSTAND.
I JUST DON'T THINK THE ANGLE
HE'S TAKING WORKS APPROPRIATELY.
AND BY GO AHEAD AHEAD WITH AN
EMERGENCY ORDER, IT MAKES IT
MUCH BROADER THAN JUST MASKS AND
THAT'S THE REAL PROBLEM.
>> BECAUSE YOU SAY THAT OPENING
THE DOOR TO SCHOOL OR BUSINESS
CLOSURES LEADS TO ECONOMIC RUIN.
BUT THIS QUESTION.
CAN'T THE VIRUS ITSELF, IF
UNCONTROLLED, LEAD TO ITS OWN
RUIN?
>> THE VIRUS IS CERTAINLY
DANGEROUS AND VERY SERIOUS, NOT
A HOAX IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR
FORM.
PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
WE URGE THEM TO FOLLOW NOT JUST
THE MASKS SUGGESTION, BUT ALL
GUIDANCE FROM THE CDC AND HEALTH
OFFICIALS.
BUT SHUTTING THINGS DOWN AS WE
DID IN MARCH, APRIL AND MAY CAN
HAVE EFFECTS THAT ARE
LONG-LASTING AND LONG PAST THESE
MONTHS, ESPECIALLY HAVING KIDS
OUT OF SCHOOL.
AND THE CDC AND THE AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION OF PEDIATRICIANS
HAVE SAID EX EXACTLY THAT ABOUT
CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS.
THAT'S WHAT I'M VERY CONCERNED
ABOUT.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.