FACTS
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that California would be entering back into stricter lockdown as COVID-19 case numbers increase and the number of patients needing intensive care rises. Statewide, indoor restaurants, bars, theaters, and museums are among those ordered to close their doors. In many counties, churches, malls, and gyms are included. Los Angeles and San Diego have similarly announced their decision to not reopen school campuses in the fall, instead continuing online school indefinitely.
“We’re seeing an increase in the spread of the virus. That’s why it’s incumbent upon all us to recognize soberly that Covid-19 is not going away any time soon.”
Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
Oregon and New Mexico have implemented similar measures. In total, California has reported 320,000 coronavirus cases and 7,000 deaths.
LEFT
The Left believes that states reopened too soon. The former coronavirus testing coordinator in LA said that California’s high case and death rates are due to lack of testing and contact tracing, adding that the “failure was federal, state and local. We all failed.”
“They were supposed to be keeping their distance. They were supposed to be avoiding large crowds. And I think too many people got a little bit complacent. And as you know, in the United States the messaging on things like masks has been quite muddied in part because the federal government has been very unclear and sometimes unhelpful.”
Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at University of California San Francisco
Ashish Jha, director for the Harvard Global Health Institute, criticized Newsom, saying he had “no medical rationale” for allowing the state to reopen in the first place. Newsom has defended his initial stance, saying that they knew cases would increase as they reopened, and adding, “You can’t be in a permanent state where people are locked away.”
RIGHT
The Right is leery of continued lockdown measures. Many have pushed against the church closure order, saying that “places of worship are essential services” and religious liberty is “necessary, even in a pandemic.”
“Is a worship service any less protected under the First Amendment than a protest? No. The freedom of worship is of paramount importance and we will support churches who provide services as their faith sincerely dictates so long as they do not provide their services recklessly.”
Roberty Tyler, General Counsel at Advocates for Faith and Freedom
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