Wisconsin Public Radio

Walker Says Wisconsin Should Reopen

Ex-governor tells far-right Breitbart News he’s concerned about citizens’ civil liberties.

By , Wisconsin Public Radio - Apr 27th, 2020 11:17 am
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Scott Walker. File photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Scott Walker. File photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker told the far-right conservative site Breitbart News it’s time for Wisconsin to reopen.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers defeated Walker in the 2018 election. But, more than a thousand people protested in Madison Friday over the Evers administration’s extension of a stay-at-home order aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus.

Walker told the site he’s concerned about the new coronavirus, but he’s equally worried about the economy. He said he’s also concerned about local and state officials intruding on people’s civil liberties.

Although, he said people should be keeping a safe distance and wearing masks if they’re taking part in rallies, noting disregard for safety would likely lead officials “to keep us locked in longer.”

The former governor questioned why other businesses wouldn’t be able to operate under the same guidelines as essential businesses. Walker said they should be able to show that they can reopen safely.

When asked whether the extension was a political move, Walker said, “I don’t know if it’s political as much as he doesn’t know what to do.”

A spokesperson for Gov. Evers didn’t respond to a request for comment Sunday.

The former governor said the state should be making decisions based on the data, calling a recent surge in cases in Green Bay an anomaly. Walker also said state leaders could do a better job explaining steps that are being taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 and get the economy back on track.

Evers laid out the “Badger Bounce Back” plan for reopening the state economy in the last week, which would reopen businesses in several phases. The Democratic governor has said the state would need to see a 14-day decrease in new infections and positive tests before allowing restaurants, schools and child care centers to reopen with social distancing requirements.

Evers has said he hopes the state can reopen some businesses before the end of the safer-at-home extension, which runs through May 26.

Report: Former Gov. Scott Walker Says Wisconsin Should Reopen was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.

More about the Coronavirus Pandemic

Categories: Politics, Wisconsin Public Radio

4 thoughts on “Walker Says Wisconsin Should Reopen”

  1. blurondo says:
    April 27, 2020 at 11:28 am

    “I don’t know if it’s political as much as he doesn’t know what to do.”

    Ya sure, Ollie. Ol’ Evers is making dos decisions in a vacuum. I hear he won’t talk to nobody.

  2. jayoak says:
    April 28, 2020 at 10:18 am

    Just go away !!!

  3. mkwagner says:
    April 28, 2020 at 12:57 pm

    Who is making the covid-19 pandemic political? It’s Trump, Vos, Fitzgerald and now Walker. Had Republicans taken this seriously back when Wuhan, China was lock down, maybe, just maybe, the experience in this country could be more like that in South Korea, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. There is blood on the hands of Republicans. As for Walker, he needs to crawl back into his hole. He never did have the best interest of Wisconsin voters in mind.

  4. JMcD says:
    April 28, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    I really had not thought about irrelevant Walker recently. Now he pops up on Breitbart and says Evers just doesn’t know what to do. First he is doing a lot, despite being undercut by Vos and Fitzgerald. Second, now I am thinking what it would be like here in Wisconsin if marionette Scooter was at the helm, responding to Covid 19?! Taking direction from his donors, WMC, from ALEC, from you name it. Very unsettling to conjure.

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us