On Nov. 6, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals blocked Governor Tony Evers’ third emergency order to limit occupancy in indoor spaces and at public gatherings. In October, Evers first issued this order as COVID-19 cases across Wisconsin began to rise rapidly. This trend continues with 6,000 new cases reported on Monday, Nov. 9.
The court reasoned that the order was “unenforceable” and “invalid.” They went on to say that, due to Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm’s “failure to follow the required rule-making procedures” back in October, they would not pass this order.
Gov. Evers said in a statement, “this is another blow to our state’s response to this pandemic and our efforts to keep Wisconsinites safe. 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 has urged Republicans to support his mask mandate and to not challenge the indoor gathering limits as “Every time it gets kicked around, its ability to make a difference goes away.”
COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise with 62 deaths reported Friday, Nov. 6.