HAYWARD, WI (WSAU) – A court hearing is scheduled at 9am Monday where the Evers Administration will ask for an injunction against the ’25-percent capacity’ emergency order to be lifted.
The limits on indoor building occupancy rates because of COVID-19 was blocked by Judge John Yackel last Thursday. He scheduled a hearing for Monday where arguments could be made for whether the injunction should be discontinued or extended. The hearing will be held by a different judge, James C. Babler.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the Tavern League of Wisconsin and a local business, the Flambeau Forest Inn, which says it could not operate profitably if it was forced to restrict capacity to 25-percent. “”We do not have the financial wherewithal to survive the blunt force of another business shutdown which have not proven effective and will result in catastrophic losses in the hospitality industry in Wisconsin,” said Tavern League president Chris Marsicano.
Governor Tony Evers says the injunction is “a dangerous decision” and urged Wisconsinites and businesses to limit building capacity voluntarily. Just because some folks out there want to see full bars and full hospitals, doesn’t mean we have to listen,” Evers said. “The longer it takes for folks to take this virus seriously, the longer it will take to get our economy and our communities back on track.
Wisconsin saw record numbers of new COVID cases on Friday. The state did not report new Coronavirus figures over the weekend because of software upgrades to its computer tracking system, which are scheduled to be completed on Monday.
