Gov. Tony Evers encouraged Wisconsinites to start planning virtual holiday gatherings and to limit gatherings to immediate family or household members in a radio address Thursday.
Evers asked Wisconsin residents to make sacrifices － like staying home, declining party invitations and getting takeout instead of dining in — to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The state has experienced a sharp increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in previous weeks. Since Nov. 1, about 38,500 cases have been confirmed.
“That’s why we’ve got to get back to the basics of fighting this virus — I know everyone is tired of all the court decisions whiplash, so here’s the bottom line: stay home,” Evers said.
On Friday, the Third District Court of Appeals blocked Evers’ emergency order that limited public gatherings to no more than 25 percent capacity. The order was declared invalid on the same day it was set to expire. The court had blocked the order on Oct. 23 while it considered the case.
“We will continue challenging this decision, but the bottom line is that we can’t wait for the courts to figure this out — we need Wisconsinites to stay home and mask up, and it has to start today. It’s the only way we will get this virus under control and ensure our economy can recover,” Evers said in a statement Friday.
On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a 4-3 order refusing to consider reinstating the order.
On Nov. 16, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to consider a case challenging Evers’ emergency powers. The lawsuit was filed by Jeré Fabick, a policy advisor for a free-market think tank, who argues that the governor is limited to one state of emergency order “per underlying common cause.”
Where Wisconsin stands
On Nov. 8, the State Department of Health Services reported 4,280 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. Since the beginning of November, the seven-day average percent positive rate has been over 30 percent and continues to increase. All 72 counties are at “very high” case activity level — the greatest severity assigned by DHS. Only Langlade County has seen a shrinking trajectory in case activity level.
Eleven new deaths among confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported Sunday. Wisconsin has recorded 2,312 total deaths. Hospitalization and death rates have disproportionately impacted Black Wisconsinites.
As of Nov. 8, seven patients are currently at the Alternate Care Facility at the State Fair Park, which serves as an overflow facility and provides care to patients who are not seriously ill.
Wisconsin’s prison system is also experiencing outbreaks. The state Department of Corrections reported 1,703 positive cases among inmates as of Nov. 6, or about 8 percent of the state prison population. There are 1,157 additional positive cases among staff.
The DOC has now reported ten COVID-related deaths among inmates. That information was previously excluded from the DOC dashboard. A DOC spokesperson said the department will not release location information, according to WPR.
A Nov. 1 White House Coronavirus Task Force report said the state must adopt a “more comprehensive” plan to combat the virus, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Interim state health officer Stephanie Smiley announced she would leave the department Thursday. Smiley is the second person to leave the position since the pandemic began.
“While our work is never easy, it has been particularly difficult as public health practitioners this year. That said, we can feel all of this and we can also be grateful for what is good in the world,” Smiley wrote in a letter to her colleagues.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said he is open to the Senate reconvening before the end of the year to address bills from a March floor period. LeMahieu said his focus is building his staff and preparing for the transition.
LeMahieu is taking over for outgoing Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and will represent Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District.
Only three state legislatures have passed fewer COVID-19-related bills since March, and every other full-time legislature has met more often than Wisconsin’s has.
In his Saturday acceptance speech, President-elect Joe Biden said that he will announce a group of scientists and experts on Monday that will convert the Biden-Harris COVID-19 plan “into an action blueprint that starts on Jan. 20, 2021.”
Hope Karnopp is the news manager and dabbles in music reviews at The Daily Cardinal. She previously hosted the Cardinal Call for WORT-FM and edited state news.
