“I am disappointed in Sheriff Schmaling’s decision to end enforcement actions of the Safer at Home order by Racine County. Wisconsin is still seeing daily increases in COVID-19 cases, and we must continue to follow the advice of public health experts as we assess how to respond to this pandemic,” Neubauer wrote. “The evidence shows that Safer at Home is working, and while this is incredibly difficult for our community, we must not rush this process. We must continue to ramp up our testing and our PPE (personal protective equipment) production, so that we can trace new infections and protect our essential workers before ending Safer at Home in May.”

Racine Public Health Director Dottie-Kay Bowersox also issued a statement late Friday afternoon that said the sheriff's stance could cause confusion for local residents.

"It is concerning and alarming that Sheriff Schmaling would be unsupportive and defiant of the extended 'Safer at Home' order. The actions come in response to the best available science and data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and local public health officials," Bowersox said. "The fight against COVID-19 is not over and how we respond in the coming days, weeks and months will determine whether or not we will be successful.