Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D-Wisc.) announced that he will no longer be pursuing any attempts to initiate another statewide lockdown due to the coronavirus, as reported by The Hill.
Evers’ decision comes after the State Supreme Court struck down his attempted extension of the stay-at-home order last week, due to his failure to cooperate with the state legislature in doing so. Any further extension, the court ruled, would have to be agreed upon by both the governor and the legislature, which is controlled by Republicans.
“The Republicans have made it very clear that they don’t believe a statewide approach is the right way to go at this point in time,” Evers told the press on Monday. “Given that, it just doesn’t make any sense to spend a lot of time doing something that we know isn’t going to be successful.” Evers had previously criticized the court for its ruling, accusing the justices, without evidence, of being swayed by Republican lawmakers.
The court’s ruling essentially ended the statewide lockdown that very same day, thus unofficially reopening Wisconsin’s economy. As a result, any further restrictions will have to be implemented by local governments at the city and county level. Many Wisconsin citizens celebrated the end of the lockdown by returning to public venues such as bars and restaurants.