It was obvious early on in the pandemic that the more heavy-handed and unreasonable restrictions being put in place, typically by Democratic governors, were going to backfire. Michigan Democrats are now seeing it firsthand.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer imposed excessive and arbitrary restrictions on the state in the first months of the pandemic. Stores were ordered to close “areas dedicated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries, or paint.” She prohibited visits to other residences, including vacation homes, and banned public and private gatherings of any size.
Another slate of strict restrictions came down in November, which included closing in-person instruction in high schools and prohibiting youth athletic competitions. Nonpublic schools took Whitmer to court over the order in December, and high school sports were allowed to resume earlier this year, with athletes playing indoors being forced to wear masks during their games.
Those unreasonable, unscientific restrictions predictably caused a backlash. And, with the state now matching its late November peak in cases and hospitalizations (but thankfully not deaths), Michigan Democrats and health officials throughout the state now appear to have recognized Whitmer’s mistake.
Whitmer has now asked, not ordered, residents to take a two-week break from indoor dining, in-person high school, and youth sports, advocating instead for personal responsibility. Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, a Democrat, said new restrictions would be less effective than before. Dr. Mark Hamed, the medical director for several of Michigan’s rural counties, said that “people are definitely COVID fatigued.” Ingraham County health officer Linda Vail said, “I think we’re so at a point where people are just going to ignore restrictions.”
We already saw this play out in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed strict lockdowns that were no better at stopping the spread of the virus than comparable states such as Florida, which was largely open. It turns out that people dislike being told by the government for more than a year that they must lock themselves in their homes and can’t go anywhere, especially when the restrictions put in place do very little to stop the spread of the virus.
Not everyone recognizes this reality. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still asserting that lockdowns are the answer, despite what health officials in the state have said. But both Newsom and Whitmer have shown that heavy-handed restrictions aren’t the answer and that lockdown fatigue is a real thing for which politicians and health officials should be accounting as vaccinations continue.
