In a radio interview with 620 WTMJ in Milwaukee Friday morning, Gov. Tony Evers confirmed that golf courses will continue to be closed to the public as part of the stay-at-home order.
Golf has been a topic of discussion ever since the courses were deemed non-essential in Evers’ orderwith even a group of 40 Republican legislators urging Evers to allow golf courses to reopen if they agree to follow social distancing and safety guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I know it’s a hot topic that’s interesting because we have life-or-death situations where we have to make decisions,” Evers said Friday“I’m not denigrating golf. Anything people ask us to reconsider, we reconsider, but we’re not at the point yet where we’re going to say we’re going to open the golf courses.
“We will continue to monitor the science on this and when the science tells us to do it, we will do it.”
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Evers discussed a wide range of coronavirus-related topics, including saying he doesn’t yet have a specific date for when the stay-at-home order will end because cases in the state are “still on the rise.”
“The last thing we want to do as a state … is make a mistake about when we move forward and get things back to the normal that we all want,” Evers said. “The last thing we need is to be talking about this next fall because we did it too soon.”
Evers also said he believes “for the most part” his order has accomplished what he hoped in terms of limiting COVID-19 cases in the state.
As for golf in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers earlier this week asked Evers to allow courses to reopen if they follow certain guidelines, including:
- Clubhouses and restaurants remain closed.
- Only four golfers per hole.
- Only one golfer per golf cart.
- Standard social distancing is practiced.
The request came Monday as Evers and Republican leaders clashed over procedures to change Tuesday’s election, which went ahead as scheduled.
A Petition on change.org titled “Let Wisconsin Golf” has garnered more than 65,000 signatures as of Friday.
Evers 40 Wisconsin State Parks Closed Thursday “due to unprecedented crowds, litter, vandalism and out of an abundance of caution to protect health and safety and help flatten the (coronavirus) curve.”
Contact Curt Hogg at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @CyrtHogg.
