News Room

As Wisconsinites respond to the ongoing pandemic, communities and their leaders care both about saving lives and about protecting jobs, businesses and the economy. This can be a difficult balancing act. Our communities are all facing deep uncertainties about how to deal with a brand new disease. Thus, it is not surprising that different places are choosing different paths forward, depending on their circumstances. Some are opening slowly in hopes of fighting the virus, while others are reopening faster in the expectation that life will get back to normal soon.

The world is in the midst of a historical turning point. The COVID-19 pandemic has effectively halted life as we once knew it, and left the open question, “what will our world look like when ‘normal’ life resumes?” While we don’t have a crystal ball that allows us to peer into the future, history has given us a template on what to expect. 

Face masks have been a lightning rod for national debate and public conflict. Airlines require flight crews and passengers to wear masks on airplanes. Retail outlets require customers to wear masks when shopping. University campuses require students, faculty, and staff to wear masks as a condition for reopening in the fall. The list of venues that require masks for entrance or service continues to grow.

Around the world, scientists and citizens alike are hoping for a COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci is “cautiously optimistic that we will have a vaccine within a reasonable period of time, not only from Moderna, but from other companies too.”

“I think what really turned the corner in Illinois was the use of masking everywhere,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday. That doesn’t square with the state’s own data. Pritzker’s order on face masks became effective on May 1. He issued the order on April 23. But the state’s numbers clearly show that the virus peaked in Illinois between April 15 and 18, which we detailed here — before his mask rule.