Evers government must reissue mask warrant and order state of emergency

MADISON, Wisconsin – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday announced he would reissue a statewide mask warrant and state of emergency amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our current public health emergency expires this Saturday, November 21,” Evers said at a DHS briefing on Wednesday, “but it’s clear, given where we’re headed, we can’t afford to stop or have a loophole in some of the only mitigation efforts we’ve put in place, so I’m announcing today that I will declare a new state of emergency this week and extend our public health emergency until January of next year.

Evers said it would also reissue Emergency Order No.1, requiring face masks in public places.

Earlier this week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court was considering whether the governor overstepped his authority by issuing a statewide mask warrant after his initial pandemic-related public health emergency expired, a decision that opponents have called illegal.

The Supreme Court held virtual arguments on Monday, but it likely won’t render a decision for several weeks.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS DOCUMENT MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, DISTRIBUTED, REWRITED OR REDISTRIBUTED.