Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday asked President Donald Trump to issue a major disaster declaration for the state of Wisconsin due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Evers said he hoped the declaration, which covers all 72 counties and federally recognized tribes, would allow the state to access critical programs to support the state’s response including community disaster loans, public assistance and crisis counseling.
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“The response to this outbreak has caused multiple deaths, exhausted many of our resources, resulted in record unemployment claims, and taken a toll on the community infrastructure that is in place to protect the public,” Evers said. “We need federal assistance to help rebuild those critical safety nets and ensure they remain strong.”
The request Tuesday came as state unemployment claims hit a daily high. The number of initial claims for unemployment benefits topped 24,600 on Monday, the highest single day total since the outbreak.
As of Tuesday, there were more than 1,300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state and at least 27 deaths, based on state and local health department reports.
Two more deaths in southeast Wisconsin were reported Tuesday. A 85-year-old Pewaukee woman and a 72-year-old Milwaukee man both died of complications related to COVID-19, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.
You can read Gov. Evers' full letter to Pres. Trump below: