JAWS 2.0

“Stay out of the water. COVID will kill you!” have been the orders of political “authorities,” especially in America.
The closing of beaches is yet another example of the American public bowing down to irrational government lockdown restrictions, which have nothing to do with science or bonafide medical data.
With temperatures rising, both outdoors and among locked down citizens eager to get out of their homes and apartments and onto beaches as the weather warms up, states continue to impose strict social distancing rules which, as we have detailed, make no scientific sense.
Continuing on its rampage to spread fear, in its story last Friday about beaches opening up, the New York Times questioned: “But how to prevent beach blankets and lawn chairs from becoming new founts of coronavirus infection has become a flash point for governors in Florida, California and other coastal states.”
What no governor nor government health official has explained is how forcing people to remain a certain distance apart on a beach makes a difference when ocean breezes are blowing across the entire area?
And, as we noted in this current issue’s article “Sweden Success Story,” renowned Swedish epidemiologist Dr. Johan Giesecke recently pointed out “there’s almost no science” showing that social distancing significantly slows down the spread of any virus.
This hasn’t stopped authority-hungry political leaders from closing down beaches.
Last Thursday, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom officially shut down all beaches in Orange County, reversing his earlier decision to allow them to stay open.
He claimed he was forced to shut down the beaches because people were violating his social distance restrictions. “This disease isn’t going away,” he warned in a public statement. To date, just over 2,000 Californians have died from COVID-19 in a state with almost 40 million people.
Last weekend, thousands of Californians took to the locked down beaches, but police chased them out a few hours later.
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed back against those who are demanding he close all the beaches.
DeSantis points out that not all regions of the state have been hit equally as hard by coronavirus and that decisions on beaches should be made locally.
During spring break, overhead photos of young people partying on beaches generated outrage across the country, and much was made that dozens out of the thousands involved either developed flu symptoms or tested positive, but none of the young party goers were killed by the virus.
Cuomo on the Rise

Despite the growing frustration of not being able to work and feeling socially isolated, New Yorkers strongly support Governor Andrew Cuomo’s orders to keep schools and non-essential businesses closed and force the wearing of face masks in public.
While for years the governor had seen relatively low poll numbers, now he is seen as a hero, with 87 percent surveyed supporting his executive orders to keep the economy closed down. The poll, conducted on 30 March by the Siena College Research Institute, also revealed that nearly one-third polled know someone who has contracted the virus, 53 percent say “things will be back to normal sometime soon,” and about one in four has had someone in their household laid off from work.
Last Saturday, Governor Cuomo resisted pressure to open up New York State’s economy stating that while he was aware many people were struggling with the strict lockdown, more needed to be known about coronavirus before he would relent.
Cuomo stated, “Even when you are in uncharted waters, it doesn’t mean you proceed blindly… use information to determine action – not emotions, not politics, not what people think or feel, but what we know in terms of facts.”
TRENDPOST: Someone working for the governor ought to introduce him to Swedish epidemiologist Dr. Johan Giesecke, quoted above, who has the facts rather than the daddy’s boy Governor who is swimming in “unchartered waters.”
French Surrender

In case anyone needs proof that citizens living in democracies, not just in the U.S. but around the world, are glad to bow down to political leaders and give into shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, regardless of the consequences, Vive la France.
The government of Emmanuel Macron has officially prolonged its “state of health emergency” for two more months, to 24 July. Health Minister Olivier Veran made the announcement last Saturday.
After a recent cabinet meeting, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner stated, “We are going to have to live with the virus for a while.”
Just to make sure French citizens understand who is running their lives, President Macron proclaimed in a May Day address last Friday that when the lockdown policies ease up, it “will not be the passage to a normal life. There will be a recovery that will need to be reorganized.”
May Day in France is traditionally a time for street protest. A year ago, tens of thousands of union workers and “yellow vest” members demonstrated against Macron’s economic policies. This year all protests were banned due to COVID-19.