Gov. Evers Plans Statewide ‘Stay at Home’ Order on Tuesday [UPDATED]

V1 Staff |

Wisconsinites’ lives are about to become a lot more restricted in response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday morning, Gov. Tony Evers said he was poised to issue a statewide “stay at home” order on Tuesday. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “The governor’s order will require nearly all workers in the state to work remotely or lose their jobs by closing all workplaces that aren’t deemed essential.”

Because the exact wording of the forthcoming order has not been made public, questions remain about which workplaces will be exempt. 

“We don’t have the details in the order of what will be an essential service,” Eau Claire City-County Health Department Director Lieske Giese said Monday afternoon during a media briefing. “I know that is a primary question that people in this community have. We are continuing to look at how other states have done that, and we are working with partners to try and anticipate (the details).”

According to a Monday report from The Associated Press, “The tighter restriction mirrors what other places have done, including neighboring Illinois, to try and force people not to leave their homes or interact with others unless absolutely necessary. Those who provide essential care and services, such as doctors, nurses and other in the health care industry, grocers and family caregivers, will be granted an exemption, Evers said. But everyone else should limit their travel to essential needs like getting groceries and medication and going to the doctor and stay 6 feet apart from anyone else, he said.”

In a Facebook post, Evers said he’s been in discussions with public health experts, elected leaders, and businesses around the state. “Overwhelmingly the response I heard is that we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin,” he wrote. “In fact, business leaders have suggested that it is imperative to slow the growth of the disease and that the state cease all non essential business statewide.”

As of Monday, March 23, there were 416 positive COVID-19 cases in the state and five deaths, the state Department of Health Services reported.

Full details of the order haven’t yet been released, but you can read Ever’s full Facebook post here:


Evers also released a short video over the weekend, encouraging Wisconsinites to stay home: