Written by William Hale
Just as the COVID hysteria and subsequent “public health” tyranny seemed to be sunsetting, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced another statewide mask mandate. The new mandate stems from concern over a potential winter wave of cases from the Omicron variant — 39 cases of the latest variant were recorded in California on December 14.
But despite the overwhelming consensus that Omicron is a relatively mild variant, Governor Newsom and Democrats persist with their disruptive mandate. However, after nearly 2 years of flip-flopping on different masking, social distancing, and vaccine policies, many Californians are simply ignoring the mask-mandate this time around.
Since there is no clear mechanism of enforcement for the new mask-mandate, Newsom has fallen back on encouraging self-enforcement. The Governor told a reporter on Wednesday that “I think people are more capable once they’re given the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ to apply themselves…and I think a lot of people will self-enforce and do the right thing.”
The vast majority of Californians will either mask-up or not comply, but residents in San Francisco — where Newsom was formerly Mayor — can dismiss the mask-mandate completely, as the Democratic Governor recently exempted San Francisco and surrounding counties like Contra Costa, Alameda, and Marin from masking when indoors with fully-vaccinated individuals. Indeed, Newsom and his administration appear to be picking and choosing who must abide by their policy.
Yet for those residing outside the liberal paradise of San Francisco, indoor masking remains the expectation — even if not legitimately enforced. The actual efficacy of masks compared to the social cost of not seeing the faces of coworkers, teachers, students, and fellow citizens in general never seems to be considered. There is a previously unrecognized value in living alongside people unmasked, perhaps Californians are starting to realize this as more and more ignore the mandate.
Photo Cred: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
