Californians have been locked down longer than residents of any other state. There’s no reason the state’s restrictions should remain as strict as they are.
Of California’s 58 counties, 47 remain under the strictest lockdown orders handed down by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Those 47 counties hold about 96% of the state’s residents, meaning over 38 million residents still are forbidden from indoor dining, indoor gyms, and attending professional sporting events.
Coronavirus cases in California have plummeted since mid-January. The state is vaccinating residents at an average pace, with 16% of Californians receiving the first dose of the vaccine. Yet, California is one of only eight states that has not mostly reopened businesses, despite all evidence suggesting the state should be moving in that direction.
The evidence suggesting restaurants contribute greatly to the spread of the virus is inconclusive at best. The evidence that gyms spread the virus is practically nonexistent. And sports fans across the country have been attending games since late June, with little to no evidence that it led to an increase in coronavirus cases.
And then there are the schools. Even the announcement that Newsom and Democrats in the legislature reached an agreement to reopen schools is underwhelming. The proposed bill only incentivizes, not orders, school districts to reopen, despite the clear evidence that schools do not spread the virus and that the lack of in-person learning is harming student development.
California’s strict lockdowns did not work during the winter surge in cases. On the whole, there has been little difference between California (8,805 cases per 100,000) and Florida (8,374 cases per 100,000) in limiting the virus, and Florida opened up months ago. California’s excessive lockdowns have done nothing but cripple businesses, encourage Californians to flout state restrictions and hasten the exodus of the state’s middle class.
Cases are going to continue to fall as more people are vaccinated, yet Californians are living under restrictions that are nearly indistinguishable from last July or December. About 50 weeks from when Newsom handed down the first lockdown order, he continues to think that he knows better than the state’s 40 million residents, even though he himself violated those very restrictions he continues to impose on Californians.
There is no reason states like California shouldn’t be moving toward large-scale reopenings as the vaccination efforts continue. The lockdowns are as unscientific and punitive as they were when Newsom pushed them in December. You would think he would have realized that by now as he prepares for a recall election.
