Liberal Lockdown Policies Don’t Listen to the Science

It’s rare that conservative and liberal commentators agree with each other when they appear on news programs these days. But the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are simply too extreme to defend.

One of the latest stories out of southern New Jersey is that the state government reportedly seized the bank account of a gym that has defied mask orders. This money was supposed to help pay for the gym’s legal defense, but it has apparently been seized to pay for the fines they are still fighting.

“Let’s cut that out,” said Project 21 Co-Chairman Horace Cooper on the Fox News Channel program “Fox News @ Night.” “Give people freedom. Let people recognize that they can be smart and make the right choices.”

Liberal commentator Kevin Walling called the move by New Jersey authorities “absolutely wrong.” He noted that there is “more community spread among households” than in places such as gyms and restaurants. Gym owner Ian Smith reported that there have been no COVID cases attributable to his business, despite over 80,000 customer visits during the pandemic as of mid-December.

And, with obese people found to be more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, gyms are promoting good health now more than ever.

Horace said that what New Jersey is doing is counterproductive in light of the successes of other, less restrictive states:

We’re supposed to be encouraging responsibility. We’re supposed to be encouraging people to take the right steps.

But let’s also look at what’s happening in Florida. Let’s look at what’s happening… in the state of Texas. There’s a remarkable difference between allowing people to make the right and smart choices – listening to the science – rather than what they’re doing in New Jersey, where they’re shutting people down, ruining the economy in the process.

He also noted that lockdowns have ultimately been counterproductive, and they are saddling the new presidential administration with unnecessary, expensive crises:

And then the president-elect has to come out with a $1.9 trillion package as a way to obviate all of this.



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