Read chapter 79 here
Many business owners and the associations that represent their interests have cried foul — and much worse — over lockdowns and less stringent measures to keep the virus from spreading, such as limiting the number of people that can be in a store or restaurant or bar at the same time. The Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, a statewide lobbying group, and the Tavern League of Wisconsin are leading the charge to overturn any and all restrictions.
On October 6th, Governor Evers ordered that public gatherings be limited to no more than 25% capacity of a room or building in response to the state’s spiking number of virus cases. The limit had earlier been set at 50%. It was a necessary move, as people crowded together in an enclosed spaces without wearing masks and showing zero concern for social distancing. As a result, they helped to spread the virus throughout their communities, boosting Wisconsin’ 7-day average of new cases by 500%. The aggrieved responses were predictably immediate and filled with doom and gloom.
"This could be the final dagger for the restaurant industry," said an owner of three downtown Milwaukee bars and restaurants, who was quoted in a Journal Sentinel article.
The problem is that bar culture is deeply ingrained in Wisconsin's DNA. We rank third in the number of bars per capita, and this preponderance of drinking establishment has certainly fueled the virus fire, which threatens to scorch the entire state, if the New York Times map of current Wisconsin virus hot spots is any indication. No other state has
this much red within its borders.
Last May, after the GOP lapdogs on the state’s Supreme Court overruled Evers’ initial safer-at-home order, which included capacity limits for businesses, television stations across the nation – and no doubt around the world – featured videos of Wisconsinites celebrating the ruling in packed bars,
with not a mask in sight. The latest round of videos being broadcast features doctors, nurses, and other health workers pleading with the public to take the virus seriously, some of them clearly struggling to hold back tears. Most hospitals in the state have reached the crisis stage, quickly running out of space to admit more patients. Wisconsin recently opened a field hospital on the state fairgrounds in Milwaukee, but more bed capacity doesn’t necessarily translate to better care. There are only so many health care workers to go around. The state might be forced to do what New York did in the spring: ask for help throughout the U.S. That approach worked last spring because the New York City area was the epicenter of the pandemic. In comparison, most of the rest of the U.S. had barely been touched. Now the virus is everywhere. Health workers in every state have more than enough to keep them busy. And extremely stressed out. Wisconsin is in a major health crisis right now, but the Tavern League wants everybody to party on like it’s 2019.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, “Iowa Is Open, But Customers Stay at Home”, a number of recent studies have concluded that “the steep drop in economic activity last spring was primarily a result of individual decisions by consumers and businesses rather than legal mandates.” Even though Kim Reynolds, Iowa’s Governor and a Trump sycophant, kept a hands-off approach to the virus, its businesses have not been immune to a downturn. Movie theaters are mostly empty, music venues are shuttered, restaurants struggle to attract shoppers, foot traffic is way down at malls and other shopping centers. Business are closing at the same pace as in other states. People are rightly fearful of the virus, especially those with underlying health conditions. (One of them being high blood pressure. ) This fear leads to a cautious approach when determining what activities are appropriate during the Age of Covid, which, unfortunately, has recently been renewed for an extended run. People
are going to remain hesitant to dine in at restaurants, to attend movies, concerts, sports events and other large gatherings well into next spring the way things are going now.
More than seven months into this adventure, we have yet to peak. In fact, we set a new one-day record yesterday. JoAnna and I unhappily resigned with how this year has turned out. Her retirement in March coincided with the onset of the virus. Just when we thought we’d have free time for spontaneous road trips and taking fuller advantage of the variety of activities, cultural and otherwise, that the
Madison area has to offer --- BOOM, the hammer dropped. This summer we missed the usual activities that add so much fun to the season: American Players Theater productions, Farmers’ Market, Concerts on the Square, Middleton’s Capital Brewery beer garden, Memorial Union Terrace, Taste of Madison, and just simply hanging out with The Usual Suspects, meeting for drinks and going to a fish fry at one of our favorite restaurants. (One that has never offered outdoor dining.) As much as we feel we’ve been cheated out of many special moments this year, we understand the need for restrictions during a public health crisis and, for the most part, place strict limits on our activities.
We would have been so much better off this year with strong and experienced leadership in the White House. Instead we were undone by the incessant incoherence of a narcissist and his team of worshipful sycophants.
The United States can’t survive 4 more years of this nonsense.
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