08/04/2020- You can add the Marinette County Sheriff’s Department to the growing list of law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin who say they don’t intend on issuing citations for perceived violations of the state’s face mask mandate. The statewide order took effect over the weekend, requiring individuals over the age of 5 to wear a face covering when indoors and not in a private residence and failure to wear a mask in public could result in a $200 civil fine. Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve says while he commends the governor’s attempt to bolster masking efforts in Wisconsin, his department is opting to focus on education, not enforcement.

The EO exempts those with certain disabilities or health conditions from the mask requirement and Sheriff Sauve says that makes the order even more challenging, if not impossible, to enforce.

The mask mandate is currently set to expire September 28th, though Wisconsin Republican lawmakers say they intend to challenge the measure.