Frederica Freyberg:

Also this week, state Republican legislative leaders took their case to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, challenging the governor’s extension. At the same time, the Wisconsin Tavern League and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business trade association, presented their plans to get Wisconsin working again. “Here & Now” Senior Political Reporter Zac Schultz explains why so many are willing to risk lives to reopen the economy.

Chris Marsicano:

We’ve been here 55 years.

Zac Schultz:

Chris Marsicano is co-owner of the Village Supper Club in Delavan and he’s been trying to keep his sense of humor through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chris Marsicano:

Hell must have frozen over because the bars in Wisconsin are closed.

Zac Schultz:

He’s also president of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, representing 5,000 bars across the state. So he’s the face of a movement to reopen Wisconsin’s bars on May 1st, nearly a month before Governor Evers’ new “safer at home” order expires.

Chris Marsicano:

Our goal is to get our people open and to get it open safely.

Zac Schultz:

The Tavern League says they have a plan to open safely, following similar social distancing guidelines and safety protocols that grocery stores and other essential businesses are following.

Chris Marsicano:

I have over six family members on my staff here, so I want to make sure my family’s safe too. We’re not going to do anything to endanger the public, to endanger our employees, to endanger our families. But we can’t survive much longer.

Kurt Bauer:

We’ve got to figure out a way to get people safely back to work. Otherwise we will have an economic crisis that will actually eclipse the public health crisis.

Zac Schultz:

Kurt Bauer is president of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s biggest business lobby. They have their own plan to allow more businesses to reopen when they can do so safely.

Kurt Bauer:

Nobody is suggesting we go back to business as usual right away. This is going to have to be incremental. First and foremost, we have to make sure people are safe. We want to protect lives, but we also have a mandate to protect livelihoods.

Tony Evers:

No one wants to reopen our economy as much as I do, but folks, like I’ve said before, it has to be more like turning a dial than flipping a light switch.

Zac Schultz:

Governor Tony Evers introduced his own plan to reopen the economy called the Badger Bounce Back Plan. The difference is the business community wants a hard date to reopen but the governor’s plan would require the state to have enough tests and personal protective equipment to demonstrate COVID-19 is under control for consecutive 14-day periods.

Tony Evers:

Right now Wisconsin does not meet the criteria the White House established to start reopening our state.

Zac Schultz:

Business leaders understand reopening will lead to more infections, hot spots and likely deaths. Bauer says the goal of “safer at home” was to bend the curve of COVID-19 cases, not avoid deaths altogether.

Kurt Bauer:

That’s basically unrealistic in a global pandemic.

Zac Schultz:

He says COVID-19 outbreaks aren’t that different from other health risks businesses face every day.

Kurt Bauer:

That pertains to agriculture, manufacturing, construction. Those are high-risk sectors of the economy for workplace incidences. Now we’re talking about taking precautions to keep people healthy.

Zac Schultz:

Both Bauer and Marsicano say they understand the governor is in a tough position, but they’re willing to accept the risks and expect their employees are as well.

Chris Marsicano:

It’s a tough call. We’re dealing with so many unknowns with this virus. I mean, I think most of us are flying in the dark here.

Kurt Bauer:

We know that there are going to be flare-ups. That’s unavoidable until we have a cure, until we have a vaccine. We don’t know when that will occur and we can’t wait.

Zac Schultz:

Reporting from Madison, I’m Zac Schultz for “Here & Now.”