It Begins? Suburban San Francisco Bans Large Gatherings

An increasing number of politically moderate Americans say they're done letting the fear of COVID-19 rule their lives. At the same time, the far-left has confirmed it can't quit lockdown culture, even when the cure is worse than the disease.

SEE ALSO: Project Veritas Exposé Contradicts Fauci's Testimony

After close to 700 days of living with COVID-19, many liberals aren't ready to let go of pandemic restrictions.

And more than a few pandemic virtue signalers want to go back to stay-at-home orders.

Case in point, California's Sonoma County announced today that it is prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors to “stop the spread” of the omicron variant. County officials also ask residents to adhere to a voluntary 30-day stay-at-home order and avoid contacting anyone outside to flatten the curve. 

The order will remain in place until Feb. 11.

WATCH:

Despite the new decree, COVID vaccines have been available for over a year and research published by The New York Times shows that the omicron strain is less severe.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat has more on the local reaction:

Order C19-35, which prohibits large gatherings throughout the county and asks citizens to cancel or postpone even smaller get-togethers for the next month, was a reminder that we are nowhere close to emerging from the darkness of COVID-19.

Reaction was mixed in the county.

“People who are gonna listen to that have already been doing that,” Brad Barmore, co-owner of KINSmoke restaurant on the Healdsburg Plaza, said Tuesday. “Others are probably gonna have parties out of spite. I hate to say it like that. But that's the way it has been weaponized.”

SEE ALSO: The Great COVID Migration: One Million Moved Out of Blue States

Dimple Kumar, a 29-year-old Rohnert Park resident who was strolling around central Healdsburg on Tuesday, wants to visit her native India for the first time in 10 years; she had a trip planned in 2020, but had to cancel. Barmore's 11-year-old son just had his CYO basketball season canceled for safety reasons and is “crushed.” Fuller misses the big gatherings — we're talking 30-40 people — her family used to organize. During the pandemic, they've been no bigger than six or eight people.

SEE ALSO: A Ready Guide to Fight the COVID Crazies

“I don't agree with them doing this,” said Monica Garcia, who lives in Santa Rosa but grew up in Healdsburg and was showing a friend around the plaza there. “People need to come together. We're all about hospitality here. It's how businesses make money. Restaurants, nail salons, beauty bars. I feel for the people who want to start having events.”

So, what do you think? Are the latest orders from Sonoma County a prelude to a statewide lockdown in California? Tell us what you think in the comments below!