This afternoon Governor Newsom decided to change his own COVID-19 rules and put 94% of California’s population under his most harsh virus restrictions starting tomorrow. This means restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and churches can no longer meet indoors. As a result of the emergency orders, 41 of California’s 58 counties are now in purple tier status, Newsom’s strictest category. The governor is also considering instituting a statewide curfew.
Some Republican state legislators are complaining loudly, with one openly calling for civil disobedience. Assemblyman James Gallagher, a strong Christian from Yuba City, is encouraging citizens to ignore the Governor’s new dictates.
“The Governor and state bureaucrats can color code counties and change rules as they go, but the basics remain the same: We are all free people who can exercise our freedom responsibly,” Gallagher said in a released statement. “The Government can only take what you let them. I don’t think you should close your business, church, or school. I would encourage you to keep them open. I don’t think you need to cancel Thanksgiving.”
“You are all responsible adults and you can decide what risks are acceptable for you and your family. Be considerate. Recognize that we are seeing another increase in cases. It is not because some restaurants have been open, it’s because that is what viruses do. In order to limit the spread, do your best to keep up on washing your hands, keeping distanced and wearing a facial covering when you can’t. We can and will overcome this as a free society,” Gallagher concluded.
Senate minority leader Shannon Grove, also a strong woman of faith, complained that Newsom is again changing the rules around his tiered restriction system, while ignoring the negative effects on people’s lives. Previously, counties only changed tiers within the systems after virus surges lasted more than a week. Now, according to a notice Grove received from the governor “tier assignments may occur any day of the week and may occur more than once a week.”
On Grove’s personal Facebook page she complained how people aren’t told about the 98.2% California COVID survival rate or the lockdown side effects including “suicide, depression, domestic violence, child abuse, loss of jobs, business closures, achievement gaps widening.”
“Even the World Health Organization agrees that the response cannot be worse than the problem itself,” Grove wrote. “It’s far past time that Governor Newsom releases ALL THE DATA on his shutdown order and the very serious consequences it is having.”
Grove also criticized Newsom for his hypocrisy. While closing down businesses and schools, the governor follows different rules in his personal life. “First he sends his children to in-person private school while attacking school choice and keeping public schools closed throughout CA,” Grove said on Twitter. “Now he attends a private gathering while telling Californians to do otherwise.”
The Sacramento Bee editorial board also called out Newsom for his recent attendance at a birthday party at an expensive restaurant in Napa, calling his hypocrisy “stunning.” “If Newsom can’t get his head into the game, perhaps he should make this governor thing a one-term affair and leave the job open for someone with a desire to lead,” the editorial concluded.
To find out how your business or church will be affected by the new rules, visit California’s COVID-19 website.
