Despite having some of the strictest restrictions in the country, California’s coronavirus cases are climbing once again. In fact, California’s COVID-19 rate is now twice that of Florida, where restrictions are almost nonexistent.
The reason is simple: COVID-19, like many viruses, follows our seasonal behavior. Florida’s cases spiked during the summer months, which is when Floridians spend the most time indoors. As soon as the temperatures cooled and Floridians went back outside, the number of COVID-19 cases plunged.
California is experiencing the same trend right now. Californians are spending more time indoors as winter temperatures set in, so cases are rising. They will almost certainly drop again during the spring.
Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged this during a conference this week.
“California is now experiencing an increase,” he said. “Well, we know why. There’s a seasonality to COVID. It’s not particularly difficult after a couple of years to understand.”
What Newsom does not want to acknowledge is that his state’s restrictions have done little to curb the predictable rise in cases occurring now. Los Angeles County still has an indoor mask and vaccine mandate in place. San Francisco requires masks for all unvaccinated persons, and the state as a whole has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. Yet, its cases are now on par with Florida’s summer wave, even though Florida doesn’t have indoor mask or vaccine mandates.
Government officials have clearly overestimated the efficacy of coronavirus restrictions and underestimated the potent effect of seasonal trends. At this point, they should understand that COVID-19 is an endemic virus that will come and go in waves, just like the flu or the common cold. It will do this for the rest of human history, no matter what orders states issue to try to stop it.
