Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) — who violated social distancing by attending a maskless indoor dinner party at the three-Michelin-star restaurant The French Laundry with lobbyists and California Medical Association execs who are totally part of his household — imposed new lockdown measures to fight the spread of some virus or whatever. He issued a stay-at-home order for counties experiencing a COVID-19 surge, but focused the order on the evening hours.
Does the Wuhan coronavirus only spread at night?
“Due to the rise in [COVID-19] cases, CA is issuing a limited Stay at Home Order. Non-essential work and gatherings must stop from 10pm-5am in counties in the purple tier. This will take effect at 10pm on Saturday and remain for 1 month. Together–we can flatten the curve again,” Newsom announced on Twitter Thursday.
Due to the rise in #COVID19 cases, CA is issuing a limited Stay at Home Order.
Non-essential work and gatherings must stop from 10pm-5am in counties in the purple tier.
This will take effect at 10pm on Saturday and remain for 1 month.
Together–we can flatten the curve again.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 19, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious matter, but why a curfew? Does Newsom think Californians are out having ragers until 3 a.m. spreading the virus? Does the virus suddenly become more contagious after the witching hour?
Perhaps Newsom simply wants to issue a partial lockdown without damaging businesses and inspiring a wave of clinical depression. Even so, if the stay-at-home order only applies in the evening, how is it supposed to make a broad impact in slowing the spread of the virus?
On Wednesday, Fox News host Tucker Carlson attacked Newsom for his dinner party hypocrisy. He mentioned the episode in which police arrested a paddleboarder for committing the heinous crime of water sports — alone — during lockdown. “They literally put him in handcuffs for paddle boarding alone.”
“So the paddleboarder gets arrested, Gavin Newsom gets to dine in peace,” Carlson lamented. “What’s the lesson here? You know the lesson. If you want to live like a human being, you gotta get elected to something and then you can break your own rules. Otherwise, don’t even think about it.”
Will the cops arrest Gavin Newsom if he violates curfew in a purple county? Maybe he can claim he was just protesting.
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.