Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Err . . . Happy Thanksgiving


Even though I knew something like this was coming, I did not expect it so overwhelmingly authoritarian. I guess I temporarily forgot that I live in California where freedom is becoming less and less of an option . . . even in one’s own home. According to this mandate, “Guidance for Public Gatherings,” our Governor’s Department of Public Health, has mandated multiple “rules” that need to be followed in the coming Thanksgiving season.

(The directives from the guidance I am about to discuss are not even optional. They are absolutely mandatory. The guidance states all Californians “must comply with the following requirements,” as well as those put forth by local health jurisdictions, even if they’re more restrictive.)

Hold your nose. Here they are (from Freedom Wire):

   • Just three households are permitted to attend a single gathering.

  • Only interact with the same few households repeatedly, do not interact with others.
  • The host must collect names and contact information for all guests for contact tracing purposes.
  • All gatherings must be held outside.
  • Attendees can only go inside to use the restroom – and only if they are frequently sanitized.
  • People may sit under umbrellas or other outdoor coverings if 75% of the space is in the open air.
  • Gathering space must be large enough to maintain 6 feet of space in all directions between each attendee.
  • Shared food plates for serving may not be used during a gathering.
  • Face masks are mandatory.
  • Gatherings must not exceed 2 hours.
  • If singing, chanting, shouting, or exercise occurs, all who participate must wear a face mask and social distance and must be at a volume at or below a normal speaking voice.
  • Instrumental music is allowed only if the musician social distances and is a member of one of the households. Wind instruments are strongly discouraged

It’s difficult for me to pick out which of these mandates are the most outlandish. They are all pretty ludicrous. Who is going to actually pay any attention to this nonsensical list?

From my way of thinking, perhaps some of those who live here might actually pay some attention if Gavin Newsom, our esteemed King of Thrones, would instead have said something like this:

“With the upcoming holiday season please try to use common sense when getting together with your family members. Even though we are still in the midst of a pandemic, have a happy Thanksgiving, and stay safe.”

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