Gov. Tony Evers said Wednesday night that Republican lawmakers threw the “state into chaos” by convincing justices on the Supreme Court to toss his safer-at-home order.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders urged the governor to work with them to develop rules in case COVID-19 “reoccurs in a more aggressive way.”
The court struck down the order 4-3, without a stay.
Evers said Wednesday night that Wisconsin was doing well in addressing the pandemic, meeting five out of six of his gating criteria and leading the Midwest in having the fewest cases per capita.
“They have provided no plan,” Evers said of the Republican leaders. “There is no question among anybody that people are going to get sick.”
Evers noted that the Tavern League of Wisconsin told its members they can reopen immediately, which he said is happening across the state. He warned about the health and economic impacts.
Evers said they’re planning to do a scope statement to start the rulemaking process that will head to the Legislature tomorrow.
“This isn’t going to be an overnight thing,” he said. “And in the meantime, we’re going to have 72 counties doing their own thing. And we were in a good place. We are no longer.”
Ryan Nilsestuen, the governor’s chief legal counsel, said the decision doesn’t apply to local health officials. He predicted a “flurry of local health officials charting their own path.”
He also cited a footnote in the decision that says it doesn’t apply to the part of the safer-at-home order that closed schools for the remainder of the school year.
Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, urged Evers to work with them to begin writing rules.
They said the Supreme Court’s ruling allows people to visit loved ones and places of worship without fear of violating a state order.
And they said they believe business owners can safely reopen using guidelines supplied by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
“Wisconsin now joins multiple states that don’t have extensive ‘stay at home orders’ but can continue to follow good practices of social distancing, hand washing, hand sanitizer usage and telecommuting,” they said in a statement. “This order does not promote people to act in a way that they believe endangers their health.”
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