Democrats across the country are suddenly changing their COVID-19 orders and rhetoric now that President Joe Biden is in office. Orders such as reduced or banned in-door dining at businesses look to be lifted soon.
The groundwork for such a 180-degree turn was laid even before Biden was officially in office. On January 11, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has overseen one of the worst statewide response to the coronavirus, said he was no longer in favor of having a hard lockdown because of the negative effects of the economy.
We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass. The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.#SOTS2021
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 11, 2021
On January 14, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for the restrictions put on businesses to lifted as soon as possible.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago restaurants and bars need to be allowed to reopen "as quickly as possible" to cut down on instances of private parties where people don't take proper precautions against COVID-19. https://t.co/EC4Df2tFs7
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) January 14, 2021
Once Biden got into the office, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also came to undo their COVID-19 lockdowns.
Indoor dining at restaurants in Michigan will resume on Feb. 1, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced this morning. https://t.co/WgLiXU70E9
— The Detroit News (@detroitnews) January 22, 2021
JUST IN: D.C. ends its ban on indoor dining. Restaurants are now open at 25% capacity.https://t.co/pzc8BYfUEk
— WTOP (@WTOP) January 22, 2021
There is no solid reason as to why Democrats are now all of a sudden in favor of reopening. It might have to do with the COVID-19 vaccines being distributed, but it was happening before Biden got into office thanks to the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed. This is not to say COVID-19 is not a serious thing, but we know how to live with the virus and we have better treatments for those who are infected. We could have done this much sooner and not have killed off many small businesses.
