President Donald Trump is scheduled to campaign in Janesville Saturday night. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is asking the president to require all those who attend the rally to wear a mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
In fact, Evers said Thursday that he wants all politicians who hold events in Wisconsin to require masks.
"Whether it's Eric Trump [a son of President Trump] or Vice President [Mike] Pence or the president himself — they have control over that crowd. They can tell them, 'If you don't wear a mask, you'll have to leave.’ That would take care of most of the concerns I have, and that of the public health experts. They are unwilling to do that obviously, or they would be doing it,” Evers told a media briefing on the coronavirus.
On President Trump's campaign website, there's no mask requirement stated for Janesville. It just says what has become campaign boilerplate this year: "By registering for this event, you understand and expressly acknowledge that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present.''
At a Pence rally Tuesday in Waukesha, attendees were encouraged to wear a mask at all times, but many did not.
The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also has in-person events scheduled in Wisconsin this weekend, but also some drive-thru or virtual events.
The discussion about COVID-19 and campaigning comes as Wisconsin hit a new daily high in confirmed cases Thursday, 3,747. There were also 17 more deaths, bringing the state's total to 1,553.
A state health official says the surge of coronavirus cases over the last six weeks has put Wisconsin in a “crisis,” adding that it “is going to get worse before it gets better.”
