A top official from Gov. Tony Evers’ administration says businesses need to reopen safely and responsibly following a Wisconsin Supreme Court this week ruling striking down the governor’s “Safer at Home” order that put limits on businesses and large gatherings.
“It really ripped off the Band-Aid immediately and it made things change overnight,” Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan said in an interview with BizTimes Milwaukee. He noted that many people likely had already seen images of “the irresponsible things, bars that opened right away and there’s really a lack of social distancing.”
Brennan said that based on conversations he's had with business groups and individual companies, most people want to reopen the state safely and responsibly.
“Everybody is eager to open things, but they want to do it in the right fashion,” he said. "Despite what the hopes are of people, the virus is still out there, it is still as malevolent and as prevalent as it has been and while we've made some good progress on it...we can’t afford to stop (social distancing)."
Employers ranging from state government to large manufacturers to local bars and small retailers don’t have a choice but to be cautious in reopening, Brennan suggested.
“All of those entities need to go about doing this responsibly, effectively, thoughtfully, safely for the sake of their employees, for the sake of their customers, because if we don’t, the stakes are too high. If we don’t and we have to go back and we have to retrench, the longer-term impact on the state’s economy is going to be much worse,” he said.
Brennan said the state plans to continue its efforts to increase testing for the coronavirus and to ramp up contact tracing for those exposed to people infected with COVID-19.
However, at the moment it is not clear how the state would enforce the kinds of social distancing measures intended to limit the spread of the virus. In the wake of the court ruling, a patchwork of local orders has emerged with counties and municipalities putting their own restrictions in place.
The Evers administration has also taken a first step to establishing a new statewide order by approving a scope statement for a new set of rules. The statement said the new rules would balance two goals, “boxing-in” the virus to limit its spread and reopening the economy without creating undue risk of spreading the virus.
To meet the first goal, the new rules will likely include limits on the number of people in a confined space, social distancing requirements, limits on mass gatherings and basic safeguards for businesses.
On reopening, the statement says the new rule would rely on federal guidelines suggesting a phased approach, the state’s Badger Bounce Back plan and approaches taken by other states.
But the statement did not include any details on what specific restrictions the new rule would include. Evers said the process for the new rule would likely take two weeks,
according to a WisPolitics report. Even once the rule is developed, it will need approval from Republican lawmakers.
Republican Sen. Steve Nass, co-chair of the committee that would take up the rule, has already
called on Evers to withdraw the statement “and end this needless confrontation before it escalates and leads to greater public discontent with the public health officials in this state.”
In his statement, Nass contented the administration was trying to circumvent the court ruling.
The Badger Bounce Back plan lays out three phases for the state to move through as it reopens. Prior to the court ruling, Wisconsin had met five of the six criteria to move into phase one, which would have allowed gatherings of up to 10 people, restaurants to open, the removal of retail restrictions and a partial opening of non-essential businesses.
The state is currently meeting four of the six criteria.
Brennan said the state will look to continue following the Badger Bounce Back plan where possible.
“As much as we can, we need to stay on that pathway, even if actions by the Supreme Court have undermined or kind of pulled the rug out of some of the ability to do that as thoughtfully as we would have liked,” he said.
Beyond businesses reopening, Brennan said getting the state’s economy going will require generating consumer confidence.
“The idea that we’re going to throw open the doors and everything is going to go back to the way it used be is not the case,” he said. “I think even when it comes to the responsibility and the palpable fear that is out there amongst consumers, we’re going to have to inspire that confidence in them and lead them back to the way things used to be or what the next normal is going to be.”
Get more news and insight in the April 27 issue of BizTimes Milwaukee. Subscribe to get updates in your inbox here.
