MADISON, Wis.— For the first time since declaring another public health emergency for the coronavirus and extending the state-wide mask mandate through Nov. 21, Governor Tony Evers (D-Wisconsin) spoke with reporters about the decision.

Evers extended the mask mandate on Tuesday. In a media briefing, he said precautions like the mask mandate were working this summer and Wisconsin was in a good place in August when it came to the coronavirus.

“But with the start of the school year and campuses reopening in the last several weeks, Wisconsin is now experiencing unprecedented near exponential growth in the number of COVID-19 cases in our state,” Evers said. “A growth that has been primarily driven in large part by the unprecedented number of infections among 18-24-year-olds.”

Evers said 18-24-year-olds in Wisconsin have a case rate five times higher than any other group.

On Thursday Evers announced more than $8 million of CARES Act money will be directed to private, nonprofit and Tribal colleges and universities to help with testing.

Evers said his staff is working with the staff of the UW-System and individual universities on responding to outbreaks in their campus communities and the surrounding communities.

Republican leaders in Wisconsin have criticized Evers' extension of the mask mandate.

“Wisconsin’s lawless governor continues to rule by fiat and it must end,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) in a statement Tuesday. “This latest order is obviously illegal. Wisconsin Statutes clearly state the powers given to the executive branch during a public health emergency are limited.”

Vos said there is already a court challenge to the order.

On Thursday, Evers said the state would be in a better place with coronavirus if it weren't for the Republican-controlled legislature and the supreme court blocking response plans the executive branch had. He said he would work with the legislature if they were willing.

“I'd be glad, republicans can come into Madison at any point and time and pass some things and I'll get behind them 100 percent that would mitigate and make a difference in this,” Evers said.

Evers also criticized Republican leaders for their attitudes towards the virus. He pointed towards fundraising events he said Republican politicians have hosted without masks or social distancing visible.

“At the end of the day, when our leaders in the state don't want to cooperate on this issue it makes it difficult for people that support them across the state and others to say 'well I guess it's not important',” Evers said.

Top health officials said the recent spike in coronavirus cases has put a strain on the state's contact tracing capabilities.

“We are certainly at risk of overwhelming the public health system as it relates to our contact tracing and it speaks only to the need for us to do everything we can together to make choices individually to help stop the spread,” said Andrea Palm, Department of Health Services Secretary-Designee during Thursday's media briefing.

Places like central Wisconsin are struggling to keep up with contact tracing. On Monday the Marathon County Health Department said that cases have exceeded its capacity to contact people in a timely manner.

Palm said there are more than 1,200 contact tracers around the state and at public health departments around the state. She said DHS is bringing in 24 more this week and 60 more contact tracers next week. Palm said they will continue to add more contact tracing after that.

“The surge capacity we have built as it relates to contact tracing needs to be expanded,” Palm said.