Some Wisconsin Stores Allowed To Reopen For Shopping

MILWAUKEE, WI — Many stores in Wisconsin can now reopen under certain conditions, according to a new emergency order approved by the governor and signed by state health officials.

Under the new executive order signed Monday by Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, all standalone and many strip-mall based retail stores will now be able to offer in-person shopping for up to five customers at a time while maintaining required social distancing practices.

Any entrances through a mall or interconnected passage must be closed to the public.

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters. Don't miss local and statewide news about coronavirus developments and precautions.

Stores relying exclusively on mall or interconnected passage entrances may not offer in-person retail shopping, Monday's emergency order reads.

The Emergency Order signed Monday also allows drive-in theaters to operate with some restrictions.

"Both customers and workers need to be confident in their safety, so we need everyone to be diligent in following best safety practices so we can continue to move our state forward while keeping our neighbors, families, and communities safe and healthy," Evers said in a statement.

The order goes into effect immediately, according to the governor's office.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), offered tepid praise for the governor's latest emergency order, but had issues with it when it came to the variety of businesses that were shoehorned into it.

“The arbitrary limit of five people per location may make some sense for some small businesses.
But anyone who has been to the grocery store, or Walmart, Target or Home Depot knows that
other business locations can house far more than five people per location," he said. "So, a Hallmark can open the day after Mother’s Day, by the way, with no more than five people in it, but a furniture store with 100,000 square feet can only have five people in it. It makes no sense."

Related Reading

• Wisconsin Coronavirus Tracker
• Wearing Masks During Coronavirus: What The Wisconsin DHS Says
• Coronavirus: Some Wisconsin Businesses Can Reopen Under New Order

• What's going on in Wisconsin? Find Out Here
• Want to submit an article? It's easy.