The Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature on Thursday revoked a mask mandate and emergency order issued by the state’s Democratic governor – only to see it declare new orders an hour later, according to reports.
State lawmakers took action after deciding that Governor Tony Evers did not have the authority to issue his coronavirus regulations, reports FOX 6 of Milwaukee.
But Evers objected that protecting Wisconsin residents from the coronavirus was his top priority – and he defended wearing a mask as an important step toward achieving that goal.
In a video statement, he accused Republicans of “playing politics” amid the pandemic.
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“If the legislature continues to play politics and we do not wear masks, we will see preventable deaths, and it will take even longer to get our state and our economy back on track,” Evers said.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is due to appear in Madison State House on December 14, 2020 (Getty Images)
Many municipalities and provinces have introduced or expanded their own rules in response to the repeal of the legislature, reports The Associated Press.
Before Thursday’s vote, Republicans of the Assembly said they would support a limited mask mandate applicable to risky public institutions, FOX reported 6. They listed places such as health care facilities, public transportation, public schools and prisons.
Republican Sen. Steve Nass accuses Evers of being a “lawless governor” who violated his authority by asking for more restrictive rules, according to the AP.
Meanwhile, medical staff, educators, churches and many other groups in the state have joined forces with Evers to ask for more caution, reports The Associated Press.
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Some Republicans responded by saying that the governor’s use of authority was the most important issue they wanted to address.
“I know you want to do it over masks. It’s not,” Republican Majority Leader Jim Steineke told the AP. “It’s about the rule of law.”
Thursday’s meeting was 52-42 to revoke the mandate, and it comes a week after the state Senate voted to do the same.
Associated Press contributed to this story.