In a 18-3 vote, the Senate voted in favor of repealing the emergency declaration that allowed Evers, a Democrat, to issue the statewide mask mandate.
GOP Sens. Dale Kooyenga and Robert Cowles, alongside their Democratic colleagues, voted in opposition to the joint resolution to chuck out the mandate, which had been cosponsored by more than two dozen Republicans in the state.
Both legislative chambers have to pass the resolution in order to overturn the mask mandate in the state. The governor’s approval is not required to overturn the measure, which he had put in place statewide until at least March 20.
If successful, it would effectively remove the only remaining measure implemented statewide as part of efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19.
GONE TOO SOON: NYPD MOURNS FALLEN OFFICER AFTER FATAL CONFRONTATION, IS BIDEN'S AMERICA TO BLAME?
Robin Vos, the speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, did not say Tuesday how much support the measure to repeal the mask mandate has in the chamber. It hasn’t been sponsored by Republican leaders in the Assembly.
The vote followed hours of debate between Democrat and Republican senators, as members of the health care community statewide warned that removing the mandate would impair efforts to combat the CCP virus pandemic.
GONE TOO SOON: NYPD MOURNS FALLEN OFFICER AFTER FATAL CONFRONTATION, IS BIDEN'S AMERICA TO BLAME?
“We ask all of our government leaders to support physicians and other front-line health care workers by promoting mask-wearing as an effective tool against COVID-19,” CEO Bud Chumbley, MD for the Wisconsin Medical Society said in a statement.
RE-SHAPING THE FUTURE: TENNESSEE GOV. BILL LEE UNVEILS BOLD PLAN FOR "EDUCATION FREEDOM"
According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, 41 U.S. states currently retain a mask mandate.
The 25 U.S. counties with the highest number of officially reported virus cases have rigorous mask mandates in place, as do 97 of the top 100, according to the study.
WATCH: TULSI GABBARD ADDRESSES WHO REALLY INFLUENCES POLICY, AND IT'S NOT BIDEN...
The study was based on data supplied by USA Facts, a nonpartisan data compiler used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among other federal agencies.
FIVE ARRESTED IN SOUTHERN TEXAS FOR TRAFFICKING OF MILITARY-GRADE WEAPONS TO CARTEL
The study’s authors claimed that “these findings do not deny the efficacy of mask-wearing per se. Nor should they discourage the practice. Instead, they point to the inadequacy of public health strategies that rely predominantly on lockdowns and mask mandates.
WATCH: AOC DISPLAYING HER IGNORANCE ONCE AGAIN
“Governments should undertake more effective interventions. These include adopting better measures to protect nursing home residents, enabling nationwide screening through the widespread use of rapid self-tests, and establishing voluntary isolation centers where infected people can recover, rather than exposing their families to infection.”
GONE TOO SOON: NYPD MOURNS FALLEN OFFICER AFTER FATAL CONFRONTATION, IS BIDEN'S AMERICA TO BLAME?
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in a statement that the chamber on Tuesday “took a stand for liberty and the rule of law.”
Sen. Stephen Nass, a Republican who authored the joint resolution, said overturning the mandate “is not about whether face masks are good or bad.”
“This is about repeatedly issuing emergency orders contrary to what the law allows. It’s about the rule of law,” Nass said.