Masks are now required for Wisconsin prison staff, state workers
All state employees, including staff at state-run correctional facilities, will be required to wear masks at all times inside state buildings starting Monday, Wisconsin officials announced.
Gov. Tony Evers also said he was rolling back plans to reopen the Wisconsin statehouse to the public after coronavirus cases began surging in the state again.
Evers administration officials told state employees Wednesday the state Capitol and other state buildings would remain closed to the public “until further notice.”
“The pandemic remains a serious threat to the health of all,” said an email to state employees from the Department of Administration urging workers to continue to work from home if possible.
Workers will be required to wear masks indoors no matter how many people are present. The rule applies to bathrooms, offices, cubicles, conference rooms, break rooms, elevators and indoor parking garages.
The mask requirement coincides with the implementation of a similar mandate in Dane County, where most state buildings are located. It also applies to state-run correctional facilities,
Department of Corrections spokesperson John Beard said.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week that not all Wisconsin correctional facilities were requiring staff to wear masks, while many other states had established mask requirements in all prisons.
People in prison are especially vulnerable to coronavirus outbreaks because it can be difficult or impossible for inmates to maintain distance from each other and staff. Inmates are also more likely to have underlying health conditions like asthma and diabetes that put them at higher risk for severe cases of COVID-19.
The American Civil Liberties Union gave Wisconsin an F+ grade last month for its response to the coronavirus in jails and prisons. The organization said the state had not done enough to reduce its prison populations — a step many public health experts have said is the most critical way to reduce spread of the virus in facilities.
Dr. Nasia Safdar, director of infection prevention and control for UW Health, said masks cannot single-handedly prevent coronavirus spread but are an effective intervention.
“If someone was wearing a mask, it would likely reduce the number of people they would infect,” she said.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Molly Beck contributed to this report.