Clipsheet

“Every state has empowered some sort of executive official to do the evolving, interpreting, real-time work of adapting to a public health crisis,” explains University of Wisconsin Law School professor Miriam Seifter, an expert in administrative law. But Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled legislature, which holds power thanks to one of the most gerrymandered maps in the country, has been trying to seize even more power from Governor Evers ever since he was elected.

“There will be positive cases and there will be transmission between players,” says Laura Albert, an associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison whose research includes the optimization of emergency and public health systems. “And I anticipate it happening on airplanes and buses, in the locker rooms or bathrooms. It’s not totally clear how we can change those spaces to be safe if there’s a bunch of people using them.”

Quoted: To straighten it all out, we spoke with two experts: Dr. Nasia Safdar, an infectious disease physician at UW Health, and Dr. Ajay Sethi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison.

Quoted: Health officials say if there is widespread disregard for safety guidelines, we will likely see many more cases causing the need for restrictions to return. “I don’t think that something anyone wants to see,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof, UW Health Chief Quality Officer.