Racine plans phased re-opening

Racine Mayor Cory Mason explains how his city plans to re-open even as COVID-19 cases continue there.

ADRIENNE: WELCOME BACK.A FEW WISCONSIN CITIES ARESTICKING TO COVID-19 STAY-HOMEORDERS, FOR AT LEAST A COUPLEMORE DAYS.BUT SOME ARE MAKING PLANS TOREOPEN.RACINE IS ONE OF THEM.RACINE MAYOR CORY MASONANNOUNCED A PLAN FOR HIS CITY ONFRIDAY, AND WE’RE TALKING NOWWITH MAYOR MASON.THANKS FOR BEING ON "UPFRONT."YOUR CITY WILL START REOPENINGTUESDAY.TELUS THE BASICS OF THE PLAN --TELL US THE BASICS OF THE PLAN.MAYOR MASON: IT IS A SAFER ATHOME EXPIRES TUESDAY MORNING AT8:00 A.M., AND WE NEEDED TO PUTSOMETHING IN PLACE FOR THEBALANCE TO BEGIN THE ECONOMICRECOVERY AND THE CONCERNS WEHAVE ABOUT PROTECTING THE PUBLICAS RACINE IS WELL OVER 800 CASESAT THIS POINT.WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THECONTINUED SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.WE HAD TO COME UP WITH SOMETHINGTHAT WOULD GIVE BUSINESSESGUIDELINES ON HOW THEY WOULDPROCEED, AND THE PUBLIC SOMEASSURANCES THAT WE WERE STILLTAKING THE CONCERN OF THE SPREADOF CORONAVIRUS SERIOUSLY.ADRIENNE: WHAT WILL THINGS LIKEBARS AND RESTAURANTS LOOK LIKESTARTING TUESDAY?FMR. VICE PRES.

BIDEN: --MAYOR MASON: IT IS A PHASEDREOPENING, SO WE WILL ALLOW FOR50% CAPACITY AT BARS ANDRESTAURANTS, BUT ALL OF THE STAYSAFE RACINE GUIDELINES ARE ASTRUE TODAY AS YESTERDAY.ADRIENNE: YOU HAD A PRESSCONFERENCE ABOUT THIS ON FRIDAY.YOU SAID YOU WOULD YOU WILLINGTO PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE GOOD ANDBAD ACTORS.WHAT DID YOU MEAN?MAYOR MASON: ALL OF THIS --LOOK, IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE TOSAY WE WILL SHUT ECONOMY DOWNINDEFINITELY.WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TOADAPT AND BE SMART ABOUT THIS ASWE TRY TO REOPEN.TO BE CLEAR, ARE RACINE PLAN --OUR RACINE PLAN IS NOT A GREENLIGHT TO SLACK OFF.WE WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.WE ARE TALKING TO SOME EMPLOYERSWHO ARE BEING RESPONSIBLE ON THEPRECAUTIONS THEY ARE TAKING ANDWHAT THEY ARE DOING TO MAKE SUREEVERYTHING IS CLEAN.AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE WORKINGWITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.IF WE SEE FROM RESIDENTS ANDCUSTOMERS THAT PLACES ARE BEINGRECKLESS AND NOT FOLLOWINGSOCIAL DISTANCING CAPACITYLIMITS, WE WILL ENFORCE IT NEEDBE THE LIMITATIONS THAT ARETHERE UNDER THE PUBLIC HEALTHDOCUMENT TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.ADRIENNE: WHAT ARE SOMECHALLENGES THAT COME ALONG WITHREOPENING?MAYOR MASON: THE CHALLENGE ISHOW TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE ANDHOW TO RESPONSIBLY REOPEN THEECONOMY, RIGHT?THE THING MOST UNFAIR ABOUTCORONAVIRUS IS IT FITS THESE TWOTHINGS AGAINST EACH OTHER.PEOPLE WANT TO BE HEALTHY ANDMAKE A LIVING, ANDUNFORTUNATELY, CORONAVIRUS PITSTHOSE TWO THINGS AT CONFLICTWITH EACH OTHER.WE ARE TRYING TO STRIKE ABALANCE WHERE WE STILL NEED TOWEAR MASKS, BE SIX FEET APART,AND WE NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLEABOUT THIS.THAT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT.AS A CITY, HAVING TO COME UPWITH OUR OWN RESPONSE AND WHATSHOULD BE A STATEWIDE RESPONSETHAT WE ARE LEFT TO FIGURE OUTON HER OWN AS THE SUPREME COURT,IRRESPONSIBLY, JUST LIFTED THEORDER AND LEFT LACES LIKE US TOFIGURE IT OUT, THAT HAS BEENDIFFICULT -- PLACES LIKE US TOFIGURE IT OUT.IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO COME UPWITH A STATEWIDE STANDARD THATWOULD KEEP US ALL SAFE.I COULD HVE A POLICY FOR THECITY OF RACINE -- CORONAVIRUSDOES NOT CARE ABOUT POLITICS.IF YOU LEAVE CITY LIMITS AND GOSOMEWHERE ELSE AND BRINGCORONAVIRUS BACK, CORONAVIRUSDOESN’T RECOGNIZEJURISDICTIONAL, MAN-MADEBOUNDARIES.ALL OF THOSE THINGS MAKE ITDIFFICULT.ADRIENNE: YOU HAVE CREATED ANISLAND.I KNOW SOME BUSINESS OWNERS AREFRUSTRATED BECAUSE THEIRNEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES OUTSIDETHE CITY OF RACINE ARE ALLOWEDTO BE OPEN AND THEY SAY THAT ISNOT FAIR.WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?MAYOR MASON: MY RESPONSE ISTHERE IS NOTHING FAIR ABOUTCORONAVIRUS.THERE SIMPLY IS NOT.TO BE IN A COMMUNITY WHERE WEMADE THE NATIONAL TOP 10 LIST OFPER CAPITA INCREASES IN CASESPUTS THE CITY OF RACINE WHERE WEHAVE TO TAKE THE PUBLIC HEALTHCONCERNS VERY SERIOUSLY.IT IS WHY WITH THE SUPREME COURTDID WAS SO RECKLESS.IT WOULD BE BETTER IF WE HAD ASTATEWIDE OR REGIONAL APPROACHTO KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE.WE ARE TRYING TO STRIKE ABALANCE BETWEEN RIPPING THEBAND-AID OFF AND THROWINGCAUTION TO THE WIND AND SAYINGEVERYTHING GOES VERSUS BEINGSHUT DOWN IN PERPETUITY.WE ARE TRYING TO STRIKE ABALANCE IN THE MIDDLE WHERE WEARE USING DATA TO GUIDE US ANDSTRIKE A MIDPOINT.TO BE CLEAR, IF WE EXPERIMENTWITH THIS REOPENING AND WE SEECASES START INCREASING EVENMORE, WE MAY HAVE TO DILATE DOWNAND PUT RESTRICTIONS BACK INPLACE TO LIMIT IT.THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THECOMMUNITY TO SHOW WE CAN HAVE APHASED REOPENING AND PEOPLE WILLBE RESPONSIBLE AND DO THEIR FAIRSHARE TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.ADRIENNE: THIS HAS BEEN TOUGH ONEVERYONE.WHAT TYPES OF CUTS COULD YOU BELOOKING AT WITHIN THE CITY,ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TOEMPLOYEES?THAT MUST YOU DISCUSSION NOW.MAYOR MASON: IT IS.-- THAT MUST BE A DISCUSSIONNOW.THE CITY IS NOT IMMUNE TO THEHARDSHIPS EVERYONE ILOOKS AT THE IMPACTS OF WHAT WEHAVE SEEN.IT IS A BIG PART OF THE REASONTHAT WE MISS APOLOGIES LIKERACINE WILL NEED HELP FROM THESTATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TOMAINTAIN ESSENTIAL SERVICES.THAT IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANTTHING WE WILL BE WRESTLING WITHIN THE MONTHS TO COME.ADRIENNE: MAYOR MASON, A BIGWEEK COMING UP FOR RACINE.THANK YOU.MAYOR MASON: STAY SAFE,EVERYONE.ADRIENNE: YOU, TOO.NEXT, THE WISCONSIN CITY THATCOULD MAKE A SPEEDY RECOVERYAFTER