Written by Andrew Morris
“End the emergency, end all restrictions. Let’s let the people of California move on with their lives.”
Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, in addition to dozens of other Republicans, are pushing for Coronavirus Mandates to end before the Super Bowl in Los Angeles this Sunday. Their efforts seem futile however, as his lobbying to get ACR 46, which would end the mandates and state of emergency, wasn’t even able to get the proposition on the floor due to a party-based vote.
Kiley inferred that a mass-spread event like the Super Bowl had no place in the midst of a pandemic, therefore, since the very same people who are pushing for the Super Bowl are those who continue mandates, there is no longer any reason to have a state of emergency. Kiley and the rest of the Republican Assembly Caucus wore masks donned with a picture of a maskless Governor Newsom with Magic Johnson at the NFC Championship Game, a shot at Newsom’s hypocrisy.
Current Super Bowl procedures are strict, requiring a proof of vaccination or 72-hour test alongside mandatory face masks. Nonetheless, the estimated 100,000 spectators can potentially cause a mass-transmission throughout the event.
In response, Newsom’s administration commented that the state of emergency was pivotal in distribution of tests, vaccines, and protective equipment. Even going as far as directly calling Kiley—and the coauthor of the bill James Gallagher (R-Yuba City)—out directly in a statement.
“Elected officials should focus on what best serves their constituents and stop with the political theatre. Apparently, they believe it would have been better to let Californians die and be turned away from care when hospitals reached capacity during the Omicron surge,” a Newsom spokesperson said.
Kiley and others retorted that other states such as New Jersey and Colorado have already ceased mandates universally with little to no serious repercussions.
As the Super Bowl approaches, Newsom has still not given a date for the state of emergency to end.
