A Wisconsin bar and an anti-abortion group filed an appeal Tuesday opposing Gov. Tony Evers’ limits on public gatherings and bar and restaurant capacities.
Evers’ order limits the number of customers that bars and restaurants can serve at one time beginning the first week of November. The order is set for one week and the governor has not said whether he will extend the limits for longer.
Pro-Life Wisconsin and attorneys for the bar and restaurant Miki Jo’s Mix Up, located in Amery, filed the appeal. They want a ruling in the matter by Friday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The appeal is a part of an initial lawsuit brought by a bar in Sawyer County and the Tavern League of Wisconsin. Miki Jo’s Mix Up and Pro-Life Wisconsin joined the lawsuit on Monday, just before a hearing on the case.
An attorney for the appeal said to MJS that Pro-Life Wisconsin is suing because the order restricts the number of people that can attend the group’s fundraisers. An attorney for the bar said there was a 25% drop in business after the order because customers chose not to come.
Barron County Judge James Babler said to MJS Monday that the plaintiffs were not able to prove that the bars were actually limiting their customers and therefore did not experience harm.
Amid this ongoing push back on Evers’ order, State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin, said Tuesday in an interview with the WisconsinEye that there is nothing else Wisconsin lawmakers can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
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“I think we have to remember that this is a virus,” Sanfelippo said in the interview. “There is nothing that government can do. You know, we can’t wave a magic wand and make it go away.”
Sanfelippo also said he believes Evers put in place the state mask mandate illegally.
The Tavern League of Wisconsin lobbyist group said they would work with Evers to help stop the spread of COVID-19, according to MJS. But the group said they would not support the restrictiveness of measures to the point where restaurants and bars would lose money if they stayed open.
