MADISON – This morning, a Circuit Court Judge in St. Croix County denied a request by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) to block Governor Evers’ statewide requirement to wear masks in public. Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement on this ruling:
“Today’s ruling reaffirms that the Executive Branch has the power to implement reasonable measures to protect the public in Wisconsin. This is a victory for public health and for the safety of families across Wisconsin at a crucial time when we are dealing with a record number of people who have contracted the coronavirus. Hopefully Republicans will quit their obsession with undermining Governor Evers, and focus on what is best for our state.”
“While there remains so much we don’t know about the coronavirus, we do know that wearing masks can decrease the transmission of the coronavirus. In places that have been able to contain the virus, mask compliance has been a key to their success. With limited tools available to us, face masks are an absolutely essential component of our fight against the virus,” Rep. Hintz stated. “Since a virus does not know county or municipal lines, it is important to have a statewide requirement and not a patchwork of local measures. While this issue has become politicized, it is a simple, common-sense action we can take. Just like local units of government, businesses have also asked for a statewide mask mandate because of the clarity it provides, especially for businesses who operate in multiple counties.”
“As we enter into the fall and winter, we know that flu season could put an extra strain on our health care systems. Continuing the mask mandate will help us get through the next two months. The bottom line is that we must get the virus under control if we want to return to a more normal way of life.”
