masks
The great mask conundrum
Recently Washington Post columnist Tamar Haspel tweeted: “My local supermarket has (a) sign saying they ‘strongly encourage’ everyone to wear a mask. Do you wear one, and feel silly engaging in hygiene theater? Or not wear one and feel a little like an (a–hole)?” It’s a great question, and on a lot of people’s minds, […]
CDC: You can ditch the mask in most places, indoors and out, if fully vaccinated
WASHINGTON — Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear a mask in most situations, indoors and outdoors, federal health officials said in an updated set of recommendations Thursday that marks a major turning point in the pandemic. The announcement is a shift from earlier federal guidance, which had urged people who are vaccinated […]
Was Vos’ immune-system ?? brag anti-vaccine?
Speaker Robin Vos started quite a kerfuffle when he changed his profile picture on his Facebook page last Sunday. He updated it to a grinning picture of himself with his wife Michelle Litjens Vos, but what led to 170 comments, 300 reactions and 30 shares was the frame he put around the photo with the […]
Will budget season in the state Capitol be a super spreader event?
Imagine if this were the Legislature’s policy for its meetings: “The wearing of pants is highly recommended, but it is not required.” In an attempt to show how ridiculous it is during a pandemic to refuse to wear a mask in the Legislature, where men are required by dress code to wear suit jackets, Rep. […]
Biden orders tougher mask rules as part of overhauled COVID-19 strategy
Biden orders tougher mask rules as part of overhauled COVID-19 strategy
Biden: “Irresponsible” of Republicans to refuse masks while sheltering during Capitol riot
WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden on Monday chastised GOP lawmakers for refusing to wear masks while they were held in a safe location as a violent mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol last week. As lawmakers waited for law enforcement to secure the Capitol on Wednesday, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) went around a packed room […]
Legislature’s opening day focused on pandemic politics around masks, access and power
AB 1 — the first bill introduced in the Legislature for the 105th session that began Monday — is a COVID-19 response bill that the Assembly plans to fast-track to a vote this week. That’s good news for all the people who complained about the Legislature not convening over the last nine months despite the […]
Pocan chastises Assembly GOP mask-optional policy after filming pro-mask ad with Vos
Congressman Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth) blasted Assembly leadership for its decision not to require masks for the inauguration and first meeting of the body on Jan. 4. An email from Assembly Speaker Pro-Tem Tyler August that laid out arrangements for the ceremony and meeting that encouraged — but did not mandate — masks, the Examiner […]
Major COVID spike in Wisconsin prisons raises questions on distancing, masks
There were 903 prisoners isolated with COVID-19 in state Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities on Tuesday and a total of 2,068 in quarantine, representing a huge spike in cases. Recent outbreaks include Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution with 431 active cases Tuesday, and 337 at Oshkosh. There have been roughly 2,000 positive tests throughout the pandemic, […]
Trump, Biden quarrel over mask mandates and state shutdowns in first presidential debate
The two men vying to become the next president offered a stark contrast to voters on face mask requirements and on how soon state economies should reopen amid the pandemic, just two of many areas where they squabbled during Tuesday’s contentious and often chaotic first debate. The exchange between President Donald Trump and former Vice […]
COVID-19 is surging. Evers says state can offer help — but no new orders.
The COVID-19 death toll is slowing down, but the infection is spreading in Wisconsin at the fastest rate in months. And Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday that while the state is providing resources to combat it, the most direct tools are in the hands of Wisconsin residents, acting voluntarily. “Folks, we cannot let this trend […]
Sen. Baldwin asks feds for emergency safety orders
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned lawmakers the United States is headed in the “wrong direction” with COVID-19 and could soon reach 100,000 new cases per day if the country does not get a handle on the pandemic. Speaking before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on […]