San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer excoriated California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his latest round of restrictions to ostensibly minimize the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, saying there is ''no science'' behind the prohibitions for outdoor dining and the closing of playgrounds.
''We get new executive orders with no science behind it,'' Faulconer said to the Fox News Channel on Friday. ''And so when you see this new order that says, for example, we're going to shut down outdoor dining, which has been working very successfully, when it says we're going to shut down playgrounds for families and kids, once again there’s no science behind it, and that’s why you see this growing anger and frustration.''
Newsom issued new regional restrictions on Thursday, which were to go into effect Friday and would be activated as soon as intensive care unit capacity in any of the five designated areas of the state fell to 15% availability.
Northern California was closest at 18.6%, according to the governor’s decree, while the Bay Area was at 25.3%.
California has seen its seven-day average of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections quadruple since Oct. 31, from 4,018, to 16,643 on Thursday, according to worldometers.info.
Newsom’s latest restrictions would include a stay-at-home order that prohibits any private gatherings of any size, ''closes sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail, and requires 100% masking and physical distancing in all others.''
The order is to remain in effect for three weeks and would only be lifted if the ICU availability improves beyond 15%.
The restrictions come about a month after Newsom was found to have attended a dinner party at an upscale restaurant in the San Francisco area, in violation of less restrictive orders and not following other COVID-mitigation protocols, such as the wearing of facial coverings.
It also comes only a day after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Newsom’s restrictions on indoor church services.
''People are losing confidence,'' Faulconer said. ''People want to do the right thing. They are working really hard to keep everyone safe, and that's our goal. Yet, when you have orders like this that come out, again, not based on any data or science, people begin to lose the trust and faith of our public health officials. That's not something we want.''
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