On Memorial Day, while reporting from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, MSNBC’s Cal Perry said people were not wearing masks.
Host Katy Tur said, “Cal Perry, you’re in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, I’ve been following you on Twitter. I’ve seen you out there today. It seems like you might be one of the only people wearing a mask and practicing social distancing, tell me what it’s like to be there.”
Perry said, “Trying to. Here’s the beachside here, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, only a couple of hours from Chicago. This place fills up seasonally from Chicago. I walked through town yesterday, shooting some video, and it was really weird. I spent a few months in lockdown in London, a place where you don’t even go grocery shopping, you have it delivered. I think that is the case in most places in this country. Here, it’s as if it’s as any other Memorial Day, totally packed, thousands of people. I have to tell you the social distancing measures that these restaurants are putting into practice, they’re not working, they’re forcing some people outside, and then those people are standing in lines.”
“As you said, not a lot of face coverings,” Perry continued. “In Illinois, about an hour away, they’re required. If here in Wisconsin, they will not. As you know, the governor put restrictions here in Wisconsin. Those were overturned by the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, which has led to all this. You talked to businesses here. They say sure we’re grateful for the business, but it’s their employees who are worried about their health, the health of their families. No one knows how this is going to play out. They say they’re brave. This is way of getting out. This is their freedom from Illinois. They are telling us to go home. Doesn’t seem to be any social distancing and not a lot of care when it comes to coronavirus, Katy.”
Tur said, “So the people there just not worried about it, they’re not worried about their own personal safety?”
Perry said, “I haven’t met anybody who is. I met some folks from Lake Geneva. They said they’re worried about it that the second spike. They are worried about those folks coming from Chicago. At the same time, they’ll add, this is place that relies on that business. People here want a little bit more funding to these programs so that they could stay closed. Again, I think they felt the Supreme Court made the decision it’s time to open up. You can see here just around, wearing them. Katy.
A man walking by said, “Including the cameraman.”
Perry agreed saying, “Yeah, including the cameraman.”
Tur said, “Striking images. Kyle, thank you very much. ”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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