Uber-Liberal Nate Silver Rips ‘Crazy’ COVID Lockdowns That Closed Churches, Kept Museums, Stores Open
Nate Silver, former New York Times staffer who is an expert in numbers, is as liberal as it gets. Even HE believes the COVID lockdowns are crazy.
Silver’s latest take was inspired by David Zweig’s substack piece headlined, “When a Renegade Church and a Zealous County Health Department Collide.” It is a long article that details how one church fought to keep their flock together.
“It’s kind of crazy (and tells you a lot about who was writing the restrictions) that churches in some jurisdictions were subject to more restrictions than museums!” Silver shared his thoughts on Twitter. “Not even attempting to follow any sort of epidemiological principles.”
It is quite bizarre (and speaks volumes about who wrote the restrictions), that some churches had to abide by more regulations than museums. It’s not even possible to adhere to any epidemiological principles.https://t.co/bo8WWJgzCL pic.twitter.com/d2ykUjcxM6
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 6, 2023
Zweig’s piece explains that Santa Clara County (California) imposed the strongest COVID regulations in America following the outbreak of the pandemic. The Draconian order was broken by San Jose’s Calvary Chapel under the leadership of Mike McClure.
“In September [2020], Santa Clara churches were still prohibited from any indoor gatherings, yet, by contrast, shopping malls could operate at fifty-percent capacity. By October 14, when county churches were then allowed the lesser of 100 people or twenty-five percent capacity, museums could run at fifty percent, and stores had no capacity limits placed on them at all,” Zweig wrote.
“Much of Santa Clara’s restrictions early on were tied to state requirements, which were harsher on churches than stores. But Santa Clara expanded the chasm between houses of worship and retail establishments beyond what the state prescribed,” He wrote.
“The seeming illogic and unfairness aside, the county was determined to steadfastly enforce its orders on Calvary and impose financial penalties with terms that would shame a loanshark. To achieve these goals the Compliance Unit sought to document — with exceeding care, and through multiple forms of surveillance — the infractions of the outlaw chapel,” Zweig wrote.
The county was eventually sued by the church, who claimed that it failed to provide adequate health care. “went to extraordinary, and potentially unlawful, lengths to enforce its decrees.” In that time, more than $2 million had been imposed on the church.
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Zweig responded to Silver’s post. “Equally important is that the ban on gathering in houses of worship lasted for seven months. Many of these people were suffering from addiction issues, isolation, depression, and rely on the church for support. These are also public health concerns.”
Silver responded: “Yeah. It’s … hard to *prove*, but I think most of the evidence suggests that extended lockdowns and closures were bad from a utilitarian/consequentialist standpoint. But they were *also* bad from a civil liberties standpoint, especially when we’re talking about religious worship.”
Researchers examined earlier this month the effectiveness of COVID mandates in the United States for 2021. They found that they did not work.
“These mandates imposed severe restrictions on the lives of many citizens and business owners,” According to researchers, a study Designed by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. “Yet, we find no evidence that the mandates were effective in their intended goals of reducing COVID-19 cases and deaths.”
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C. were all analyzed by the researchers.
“We find no evidence that the announcement or implementation of indoor vaccine mandates in the cities listed had any significant effect on vaccine uptake, COVID-19 cases, or COVID-19 deaths, and this is largely consistent for all US cities that implemented the mandate,” Researchers wrote.
The author views are his own, and they do not represent the opinions of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl, a journalist covering politics for over 35 years has served as White House correspondent at a national newspaper for 12 years. The Drudge Report’s morning editor for the past four years was his title. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.
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