Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Court Invalidates Stay-At-Home Order, Wisconsin Descends Into 'Wild, Wild West' Chaos
The Associated Press: Wisconsin Governor Warns Of 'Massive Confusion' After Ruling
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers warned Thursday of “massive confusion” after the state Supreme Court tossed out the Democrat’s stay-at-home order and Republicans said they may leave it up to local governments to enact their own rules for combating the coronavirus pandemic. The court’s order threw communities into chaos, with some bars opening immediately while local leaders in other areas moved to keep strict restrictions in place to prevent further spread of the virus. (Bauer and Richmond, 5/14)
The Washington Post: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers Calls His State ‘The Wild West’ After Bars Reopen Immediately Following Supreme Court Ruling
With Evers’s statewide orders kaput, local health authorities scrambled to issue or extend citywide or countywide stay-at-home orders, creating a hodgepodge of rules and regulations all across the state that are bound to cause confusion, not to mention some traffic across county lines. It’s a situation unlike any in the United States as the pandemic rages on. But most of all, Evers feared that the court’s order would cause the one thing he was trying to prevent: more death. (Flynn, 5/14)
Reuters: 'Wild, Wild West': Wisconsin Reopens For Business
The court sided with a legal challenge from Republican lawmakers who argued the state’s top public health official, Andrea Palm, exceeded her authority by imposing a stay-at-home order through May 26. Not long after the ruling was announced, some beer-loving Wisconsinites rushed to bars for their first taste of freedom in nearly two months, and pictures appeared on social media of maskless crowds of revelers nowhere near 6 feet apart. (O'Brien, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal: Wisconsin Governor Urges Social Distancing After Court Blocks Statewide Lockdown
State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, the Republican legislators who led the suit against the administration, encouraged residents to continue social-distancing and take other safety measures. “This order does not promote people to act in a way that they believe endangers their health,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. In Wisconsin, 11,275 people have been infected with the virus and 434 have died, according to the state’s Department of Health Services. (Calfas and Gershman, 5/14)
