Milwaukee is moving toward reopening next month. The city yesterday announced no more crowd caps, and no more restrictions. There will, for some reason, still be masks.
This is good news, but it bears asking a question.
Why June 15th? Is there something magical about one month from now? Will I be safer on June 15th than June 12th? Or than May 21st?
A lot of this seems like the people in charge not knowing how to back out of the coronavirus fear-pocket they’ve placed us in for the past year.
From the JS:
The City of Milwaukee on June 15 will ease many of its COVID-19 health restrictions, officials announced Thursday.
The city's health orders have been in place since the pandemic first reached Milwaukee more than a year ago.
The city will transition out of its current Phase 6 order and "away from many of the mandated COVID restrictions," Mayor Tom Barrett said in a virtual press conference Thursday morning.
The city will still encourage residents to follow safety guidelines, Barrett said.
"After enduring a year of personal and economic sacrifice, this is a reason to celebrate," he said. "We have the opportunity to return to a version of normal."
Limits on gathering sizes and occupancy will be lifted for businesses and events, and events hosted after June 15 will not need to submit a COVID-19 safety plan to the city's Health Department, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson said. Officials will continue to recommend physical distancing whenever possible.
Mask wearing will still be enforced indoors, and the department will follow guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for outdoor spaces, she said.
"We are really leaning into the masking restriction, that is it," she said.
Officials are also encouraging people to adhere to safety plans but are "moving from restrictions to recommendations," Johnson said.
Restrictions could be reinstated if cases were to start to increase again.
They have to leave that line in there.
Millions of Americans, however, may not be so ready.
Tucker Carlson made that point Wednesday night.
Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID are more afraid of going outside than Americans who haven’t been vaccinated. Much more afraid. Only a quarter of vaccinated adults say they’d be willing to travel to a work conference or enter a gym. Only 24% of them would take the bus. Less than half would be willing to rent a car, alone. Only 34% would go to a party. Just 17% of them would dare to take a cruise. And so on. These people are absolutely terrified of getting COVID. Yet, again, they’ve all been vaccinated. Clearly, many vaccinated Americans — most, according to this poll — don’t really believe in the COVID vaccine.
What does this tell us? Among other things, it tells us that we’ve long ago left the realm of science, and are instead in a state of mass hysteria and mass manipulation. Many Americans are too scared to think clearly. If you’ve had the vaccine, which you say you believe is effective, but you’re too afraid to rent a car for fear of getting COVID, you’re not thinking clearly. And you’re not thinking clearly because you’re too afraid. And you’re afraid because you’ve been told for more than a year that you are required to be terrified. And the arrival of the vaccine has not calmed you at all.
About half the country is so terrified that they are rejecting the science they claim to believe in.
These are people who are not going to know what to do when there’s no more mommy or nanny holding their hand and telling them how to live, where to go, and what to do.
It is great that we are coming to the end of this, but what happens next?
Photo Credit: Getty Images