Answers to Your Questions About Wisconsin's Safer at Home Order

The Wisconsin “Safer at Home” Order, issued by Governor Tony Evers, began on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at 8:00 a.m., and is in effect until 8:00 a.m. on April 24, 2020.

The Order creates limited exceptions that allow all people to leave their homes for the following functions:

  1. Essential Activities
  2. Essential Governmental Functions
  3. Essential Business and Operations
  4. Minimum Basic Operations
  5. Essential Travel
  6. Special Situations

After issuing the Safer at Home Order, Governor Evers released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that address the most common questions asked after the order was released.

The following answer some popular question:

  • Individuals do not need special permission to leave their homes, but they must comply with the order as to when it is permissible to leave home, including Social Distancing requirements.
  • Individuals may engage in outdoor activities, but must meet Social Distancing requirements.
  • Essential Businesses and Operations do not need documentation or certification, nor do their employees, as long as they are complying with the order.
  • Restaurants and bars will remain open only for food take-out or delivery. No seating may be provided. Carryout sales of alcohol beverages are also allowed.
  • Any self-serving operations of salad bars, beverage stations, and buffets must cease.
  • Hotels and motels may remain open so long as they follow the guidelines imposed on stores that sell groceries and medicine, restaurants, and bars.
  • If a local municipal order conflicts with the statewide order, individuals must follow the statewide order.
  • Weddings and funerals can proceed as long as any gathering includes fewer than 10 people in a room or confined space at a time. Individuals comply with Social Distancing requirements.
  • People may still proceed with plans to move out of a home. Moving and relocation services are considered essential business operations under the Safer at Home Order.

“Social Distancing” requirements include persons being at least six (6) feet apart, washing hands frequently for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer, covering a cough or sneeze, regularly cleaning frequently touched surfaces, not shaking hands, and following all public health recommendations by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A link to the FAQs is available here.

Published March 26, 2020