As a “third wave” of the coronavirus pandemic hits the United States and Europe, many governors have either implemented or are considering new restrictions to stop the spread. Will the orders be effective?
Summary
As cases of coronavirus surge nationwide, many states are considering or implementing new restrictions on retail, the hospitality industry, and even social family gatherings. Federal officials are even urging Americans to alter or limit their Thanksgiving plans because of the pandemic.
- In Washington state, the business community is preparing for sweeping new restrictions Governor Inslee may implement next week. Inslee has already spoken out against family gatherings for the holidays.
- Michigan has yet to adopt any new or previously-used measures, but Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she’s “strongly considering” such actions while urging the state legislature to pass a statewide mask mandate.
- One Detroit restaurateur is pushing back on the unintended consequences of coronavirus economic relief implemented earlier this year, running a newspaper ad criticizing government for “making it easy to stay home and collect unemployment rather than go to work.”
- During a statewide address on Wednesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced new restrictions on social gatherings after Ohio repeatedly broke daily covid-19 case records. During his remarks, he also announced new mask mandate enforcement procedures and warned the closing of restaurants and gyms may come next week.
- Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers used a prime-time address to plead with Wisconsinites to stay home and included more mitigation recommendations, but did not announce any new restrictions.
- State health officials in Pennsylvania urged residents to avoid social gatherings and do what they can to stop the spread of the coronavirus, warning that if the spread of the virus is not contained, “strict mitigation strategies” will have to be enforced.
- Officials in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have also begun enforcing new restrictions for businesses, but have not made any decisions on closing down schools.
- Earlier in the week, Utah Governor Gary Herbert announced a statewide mask mandate, saying the state cannot afford any more debate on the issue.
- Lawsuits against statewide orders have found mixed success. While Wisconsin and Michigan courts struck down measures ruled as unconstitutional, Kentucky’s Supreme Court gave Governor Beshear a win this week, upholding the state’s restrictions.
- Huffington Post seized on remarks by conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito about government restrictions in response to the pandemic. In the piece, Alito’s remarks were characterized as the “politicization of scientific fact.”
- Vice quoted a Biden adviser who said if the federal government paid for the lost wages of workers and of small-to-medium size businesses, a four-to-six-week lockdown can happen.
- A former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in The Atlantic a list of recommendations, many of which have been previously instituted, while pushing for paid sick leave authorized and potentially funded by the government.
- Phillip Magness, a senior research fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, found fault in a recent study on the effectiveness of mask-wearing, saying the study used outdated information.
- The Daily Caller reported on New York City’s hospitality industry pushing back on the new restrictions, saying they are a “huge blow” to the industry.
- National Review’s Andrew Stuttaford criticizes various governments’ reactions to the coronavirus pandemic and the recent calls for more lockdowns and business restrictions, saying “the response to the coronavirus must include a reasoned acceptance of trade-offs.”
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© Dallas Gerber, 2020
