(WTAQ) — Evictions and foreclosures have been suspended throughout the state of Wisconsin on the order of Governor Tony Evers as the number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Coronavirus surpasses the 800 mark. 842 cases were confirmed by state officials on Friday. 13 people are dead.
Wisconsinites who may be out of work and unable to pay rent or their mortgage don’t have to worry, at least right now, about winding up homeless, but if they can pay, they should.
“Wisconsinites who are able to continue to meet their financial obligations are expected to do so,” Evers said. “This order does not relieve a person of their obligations to pay their rent or their mortgages.”
Governor Evers made the order as cases and deaths continue to rise in Wisconsin, but it’s possible the numbers that are being reported are significantly lower than the actual number of infected.
“It’s same to assume that the number is possibly as high as ten times as many people who have been infected compared to the people actually diagnosed,” said Bureau of Infectious Disease chief Dr. Ryan Westergaard. “That’s what the model has shown.”
The new cases all come from people who were infected before the “Safer at Home” order took place.
Governor Evers is also seeking changes to the upcoming April 7th election, asking the legislature for a mail-in vote.
“I’m asking the legislature to come together, in a bipartisan way, to change the law to make sure that every voter receives an absentee ballot,” Evers said Friday.
The City of Green Bay has filed a lawsuit seeking changes to the April 7th election. State election officials are still moving ahead as through an in-person vote will take place, despite social distancing orders.
