If you thought a mere invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces would put the Democrats’ appetite for totalitarian control of the populace behind us, think again. Restrictions are not gone; they were merely on hiatus until the news cycle tampered down. Now that the death and destruction in Europe is hitting the one-month mark, the short-attention span of the media is refocusing on the best money-maker since Trump: COVID!
Their joy began with a brand-new COVID variant entitled BA2. Apparently BA2 is a strain of Omicron, and the CDC says that it’s doubled each week for the past month, which makes it likely to be the next dominant strain in the US. What BA2 really is, is an excuse - an excuse that the powers that be will use to continue the COVID madness.
President Biden extended the federal mandate to mask on planes and trains through at least April 18. The rule was set to expire on March 18, but the CDC extended it in order to “help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor.”
The CDC is not known for actually putting the data that it gathers to good use. If it did, it would have informed the public that airplane travel has never been a vector of transmission. Or it would differentiate between different types of masks. Or they would admit that vaccinations and boosters do not prevent giving or receiving Omicron. Or that natural immunity is more effective than the vaccines themselves.
What the CDC is becoming known for is becoming yet another institution of American life that has lost all trust with the American people. Just last week, the CDC “adjusted” its data to remove 72,277 deaths from COVID across 26 states. This included 416 pediatric deaths, a drop of 24%. Reuters, citing the American Academy of Pediatrics, said, “Children accounted for about 19% of all COVID-19 cases, but less than 0.26% of cases resulted in death.”
In the beginning of March, New York finally lifted some of its COVID restrictions. Despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, however, they are still making children mask up. According to the New York Times, “Since children under the age of 5 are not yet eligible for vaccination, the city still requires them and all staff members that work with them to wear masks indoors.” Just to recap: Pediatric deaths were already low. The CDC revised the numbers downwards. Children under 5 already have a near zero chance of hospitalization and death from COVID, yet they still must mask. The icing on the cake is that at the end of February, the data revealed that the Pfizer shots are 12% effective in 5-11-year-olds.
That’s not all the insanity that New York City is doing. Newsday reported that Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the city’s new Health Commissioner, is keeping the private business vaccination mandate indefinitely. “I think it’s indefinite at this point,” he said. “You know, people who have tried to predict what’s going to happen in the future for this pandemic have repeatedly found egg on their face.”
The only ones with egg on their face should be the policymakers who put out this tripe. This policy is so insane that Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who famously refused to get vaccinated, can attend a home game without a vaccine or mask, but cannot play. The video of him doing just that went viral, prompting even the most ardent Leftists to mock the policy. Comedy Central host Trevor Noah roasted the decision. “I don’t get it. Why? Does the ball have a weak immune system?”
So what is Governor Kathy Hochul doing about this? She’s extending her own emergency powers, of course. Hochul quietly signed an Executive Order extending her powers until April 15. The basis of her extension is that New York hospitalizations with COVID are over 100 per day. According to Hochul, in a state of 20 million people, a 0.0005% hospitalization rate is too high for her to relinquish her authority back to the Legislature. If it jumps another ten-thousandths of a percentage point, she may have to declare herself Empress. As Congressman and candidate for Governor Lee Zeldin wrote in a statement: “It’s clear that [Hochul’s] lust for power and control has never been more prevalent.”
So no one should be surprised if and when the restrictions are put back into place. The table is being set, and few are noticing. Most people will just comply with whatever they are told, but if more and more people refuse to comply, then - and only then - will these restrictions finally be lifted forever.
Moshe Hill is a political columnist and Senior Fellow at Amariah, an America First Zionist organization. Moshe has a weekly column in the Queens Jewish Link, and has been published in Daily Wire, CNS News, and other outlets. You can follow Moshe on his blog www.aHillwithaView.com, facebook.com/aHillwithaView, and twitter.com/HillWithView.