Waukesha Times

AMERICAN DEFENSE MFG PRODUCTS LLC issued the following announcement on July 22.

Wisconsin reported 1,117 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, a new record and the first time the state has exceeded 1,000 cases confirmed in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. 

The milestone drew the attention of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign, which blamed the acceleration of the virus in Wisconsin on Republican legislative leaders and President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak. 

"At nearly every turn, Trump and Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature have undermined the advice of public health officials and Governor Evers’ efforts to keep people safe — and we’re all paying the price," Danielle Melfi, state campaign director for Biden, said in statement. 

Wisconsin recorded the highest daily case count of all of its Midwestern neighbors — exceeding Illinois' 955, Minnesota's 352, Iowa's 512 and Michigan's 573. 

Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for Trump's campaign, said the criticism from Biden's campaign amounted to an unqualified armchair quarterback given the Obama administration's failure to replenish the emergency stockpile of protective equipment. 

"Meanwhile, thanks to this President, the United States leads the world in coronavirus testing, Wisconsin business owners have received over 85,000 Paycheck Protection Program loans, and 1 million Wisconsin jobs have been saved," Kelly said. 

Aides to GOP legislative leaders did not provide a reaction to the Biden campaign's criticism. 

In a briefing with reporters, Department of Health Services state health officer Stephanie Smiley pleaded with residents to make changes in their behavior.

"We believe it's the duty of people to protect themselves and protect others by physically distancing and wearing a mask," Smiley said. "We certainly want people to make those choices." 

The spread of the virus is likely quicker and more widespread now than it was in March when Gov. Tony Evers issued a statewide order closing businesses and schools to curb its reach, Smiley said, though she said the state has changed how it calculates virus activity. 

Infected people were averaging three to five contacts when the virus first began to spread. Now, it's between 15 and 20, she said.

Evers, who was not part of Tuesday's briefing with reporters, has said a state Supreme Court ruling in May that threw out much of his stay-at-home order continues to block him from issuing statewide orders aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.

But legal experts have told the Journal Sentinel otherwise, saying Evers could mandate masks or impose other orders if he wanted to. 

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Republican legislative leaders, sued Evers over the order saying the administration exceeded its authority in issuing the order. 

Limits on gatherings and businesses were left up to individual county health departments following the Supreme Court ruling, which lifted all restrictions immediately. 

Legal experts contend the ruling in the lawsuit did not strike down the provisions in state law that provides Evers and Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm with powers to issue mandates, like a statewide mask requirement.

Illinois and Michigan have such mandates while Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin do not. 

Original source here.