Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce calls for state to get 'Back to Business' by May 4

MILWAUKEE -- With businesses shuttered and an 18% unemployment rate in Wisconsin, it's critical that people get back to work. The question of when still remains, but we learned more about one group's plan for how.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) -- the combined state chamber, manufacturers’ association and safety council -- unveiled its "Back to Business" plan on Friday, April 24. It was the same day Gov. Tony Evers’ initial "Safer at Home" order expired. The group is now calling for the state to get back to business by May 4.

"We want to make sure as we do that the healthcare community is able to have the necessary resources to properly treat any person that is sick we want to make sure they have the proper treatment in a timely manner," State Sen. Chris Kapenga said. "We wanted to be transparent we wanted to instill confidence and we wanted this platform to be simple and intuitive."

Kapenga and members of WMC announced a plan; the model centers around government, business, their employees and the general public. Here's how it works.

There will be four factors that add up to a risk score. That score would sort participants into a category of minimal risk, moderate risk or substantial risk based on an in-depth analysis of more than 300 NAICS codes and various data points from public health sources.

Factors include population density, infection rate, risk of transmission and healthcare capacity. These are set by the county where the business is operating.

The higher the risk, the more precautions businesses would be required to take to avoid further spread of COVID-19. Precautions can include, but are not limited to social distancing among employees and customers, operating at reduced capacity, increasing use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and stepping up cleaning procedures.

Businesses would then print out a placard to put in the front of their business so the public can have an idea of what type of risk that business has. Because infection rates change, the business would have to go through this assessment every week to 10 days or so.

Gov. Evers released a statement saying in part: "as we continue to implement the "Badger Bounce Back" plan his administration will continue to engage in conversations with stakeholders, business owners, workers, and experts in the medical community and adds that we have to approach this like we are turning a dial, not flipping a switch."


Kurt Bauer, WMC President & CEO issued the following statement:

A WCM news release says the platform relies on readily available government health data. So, as public health conditions change, it will automatically dial-up or dial-down businesses’ safety requirements – a nimble approach not found in other plans.




More details about the Back to Business plan are available by clicking the links below: