Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Issues New Order Requiring Masks [VIDEO]

Just an hour after Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Legislature voted to repeal Governor Tony Evers previous mask mandate, the governor issued a new one.

According to the The Office Of The Governor:

Gov. Tony Evers today signed Executive Order #105 and Emergency Order #1 establishing a statewide public health emergency and requiring face coverings in public places to protect the health and safety of Wisconsinites. The governor's orders today come as Republicans in the Legislature voted to end the governor's previous public health emergency and relating order requiring face coverings in public places. Executive Order #105 is available here and Emergency Order #1 is available here. The orders are effective immediately.

They went to say that recent moves by the Republicans in the Legislature are part of an effort to prevent Governor Evers from keeping Wisconsinites healthy and safe. State Republicans wrote a brief to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2020 that stated Republicans were “drafting even now” legislation to respond to the pandemic, but they have not sent a bill to the governor’s desk in more than 290 days.

The press release quotes a Marquette University Law Poll, conducted in October, which found 72% of Wisconsinites agreed that masks should be required in public places, and that support for a mask requirement exceeded 60% in all regions of the state at that time.

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Even if a statewide mandate is repealed, local mask mandates can still be put into place, which was the case earlier this week in Superior.

Governor Evers released a video regarding the new orders, which you can watch above in its entirety. Below is a portion of the video transcript:

"Unfortunately, that happened again today when Republicans in the Legislature came in to vote down our state’s public health emergency and end requiring face coverings in public places.

And, in so doing, they also put at risk nearly $50 million a month in federal funds that will go toward helping hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable Wisconsinites have access to food assistance during this pandemic. Folks, that is wrong.

Here’s the truth: we know that wearing face coverings can save lives and prevent death; we know it’s supported by science and the CDC; and we know it’s supported by more than 40 statewide organizations and the 72% of Wisconsinites who agree face coverings should be worn in public places."