Wisconsin governor bans large gatherings
Bars, restaurants must limit patrons to 50
MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers on Monday banned gatherings of 50 people or more, requiring bars and restaurants to limit their patrons as the state braces for coronavirus to spread quickly through communities.
Evers made the announcement on the eve of one of the busiest days in Wisconsin bars, saying the order was crucial to prevent the spread of coronavirus as crowds continue to gather to drink and eat despite urgent advice from state and federal health officials to stay indoors and away from others.
“I’m proud and not surprised by the efforts of the people of Wisconsin to rise to the challenge,” Evers said in a conference call Monday with reporters. “Folks, it’s on all of us to practice social distancing.”
The order does not go as far as measures other states have put in place — outright bans on gathering in public to eat or drink — and fell short of White House recommendations of limiting gatherings to 10 people.
But its effects will be felt beyond happy hour. The order requires bars, restaurants, theaters, conference rooms and other gathering places to limit to 50 patrons, or to 50% capacity, whichever is smaller. The limit applies to weddings, funerals and schools — moving up an earlier order to close schools by one day.
The restrictions won’t apply to grocery stores, food pantries, child care centers, pharmacies and hospitals, Evers said.
Wisconsin law gives Evers and his health department broad powers when he declares a public health emergency, as he did last week.
State law says during emergencies a governor can “issue such orders as he or she deems necessary for the security of persons and property” and he is using that authority to limit public gatherings.
Evers also on Friday ordered schools to close amid the outbreak.
President Donald Trump on Monday suggested limiting gatherings to 10 people, but Evers said he would stick with the 50-person limit, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs.
The order comes as the number of cases in Wisconsin grew to 46 and as other states are banning anyone from eating or drinking in such establishments. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker made such an order over the weekend.
Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer of the Department of Health Services’ Bureau of Communicable Diseases, said Monday the new cases represent a milestone in the outbreak by indicating the disease is being contracted within Wisconsin and not by traveling elsewhere.
The limits come just before St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, one of the busiest days for bar owners, and after the NCAA spring basketball tournaments were canceled — another big blow to bar owners’ business.
“Our first concern is with everyone’s well-being so our customers, our employees, we will do whatever we can to help educate and make it more safe for people,” Tavern League of Wisconsin spokesman Scott Stenger said. “But there’s no hiding behind the fact that this will be a tremendous economic hardship for the thousands of people who work for us.”
In Milwaukee, venues like McBob’s and Flannery’s, and other Irish-themed bars, intend to make the best of St. Patrick’s Day.
“I hope people will understand that we’re trying to support our employees and support our community and work to keep business afloat,” said Steve Schmich, owner of McBob’s.
The Irish Pub has celebrated St. Patrick’s Day for over 30 years at the corner of North 49th Street and West North Avenue, but this year will be different. No band, no Irish dancers, and the bar will not see thousands of people through its door.
Schmich estimates that St. Patrick’s Day alone accounts for 5% to 7% of the bar’s revenue in an average year.
He already has what he needed to prepare for the day: 4,000 pounds of corned beef, 80 loaves of bread and 40 kegs of beer.
“We’re probably going to go through a quarter of that,” he said.
Stenger said after the virus is contained, the Tavern League of Wisconsin — a powerful lobbying group — will likely seek legislation that will help members recover significant financial losses expected during the closures.
“These (businesses) are a vital part of our state’s economy, and we have to make sure that if we see a temporary shutdown that we get the attention and focus that other pieces of the economy do because the folks that work for us, they don’t have big bankroll they can tap into,” Stenger said. “This is a paycheck to paycheck industry.”
Stenger said he doesn’t worry about a precedent being set by state officials ordering private businesses to modify their business plans.
“If there were ever a time to do it, this would seem to meet the definition,” he said. “Let’s make damn sure we’re working with our partners in government and our partners in the private sector to make sure we don’t end up like Italy.”
Kristine Hellmer, president of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, said her organization worked with the governor’s office on the limits on gatherings and supports Evers’ decision.
“The alternative would be to close restaurants and that would have been much more archaic,” she said. “What this does is, it allows restaurants the ability to still remain open, changing their business models of course.”
The order limits restaurants to half their regular capacity, with a maximum gathering of 50 people. It also prohibits salad bars, beverage stations and buffets. Tables must be at least six feet apart from each other under Evers’ order.
The association is encouraging restaurants to gear up for deliveries, including curbside deliveries. That’s true even for restaurants that don’t usually deliver because limits on gatherings could be in place for weeks or months, Hellmer said.
Just after the governor put his limits in place, President Donald Trump recommended gatherings be capped at 10 people at most.
“The difficulty is this situation is changing so incredibility rapidly that anything could change,” Hellmer said. “It’s such a moving target. We think at least at this point (the governor’s limits are) reasonable. Things could change.”
Like the tavern league, the restaurant association wants the Legislature to give financial help to businesses that lose money during the pandemic.
“The bigger point is that’s all retroactive,” she said. “If restaurants are out of business and then they do some financial help after the fact that their doors are already closed, it’s too late.”
Evers’ order also comes as other Wisconsin industries built on large crowds, like water parks in Wisconsin Dells and casinos, close their operations, too.
Mary Jessen, spokeswoman for the Kalahari Resort and indoor water park in Wisconsin Dells, said the complex will close starting Wednesday until April 2.
“We have had no reported positive COVID-19 cases within our guest or associate communities. However, with the new guidance restricting gatherings, we have made the decision to temporarily close,” Jessen said in an email.
The Great Wolf Lodge resort and indoor water park in Wisconsin Dells also will close until April, according to its website.
Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.