(3/23/20) Taking another step in the effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Governor Tony Evers said on Monday that he plans to issue an order on Tuesday ordering all nonessential businesses to close. Details on which businesses will be allowed to stay open have not yet been announced, but are expected to be similar to the restrictions in other states such as California, Illinois, and Ohio. Best guess is that essential services are likely to include health care providers, grocery stores, restaurant carry-out services, farms, critical manufacturing, utility companies, law enforcement, and government operations. The governor promised to give “nonessential” businesses a grace period to close down, although hair and tanning salons were already shuttered last week.

“Folks, this is important. Time is of the essence,” Evers said. “This isn’t something I thought we’d have to do, it’s not something I wanted to do and it’s not something that I take lightly.”

(Banner comment) You may find it to be worth four minutes to read the article, “The Severity of the Next Several Weeks Depends Upon Our Actions Now,” by Andy Slavitt, former head of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services. Click here for the post on medium.com.

Finally, here are some good tips for your essential shopping trips.