Absolutely. Thousands of them.
No one forced the NBA, NHL, concert promoters, etc. etc. to shut down.
If you look back to early/mid 2020 you’ll see all kinds of businesses voluntarily shutting down.
If for no other reason than their customers weren’t about to go out in public.
Cognitive Dissonance?
They willingly shut down because their customers couldn't shop because those customers were locked down by government? There's no willingly there at all.
Nope
Businesses were told comply or be fined into oblivion
I remember the early days. Some cities ordered plenty of businesses to close and they couldn’t reopen until they took measures to reduce contact with patrons and patrons among one another. That’s where all the plexi at counters and social distance circles came from.
In the early days, only a few types of “essential” businesses could remain open while those measures were implemented. Grocery stores and gas stations, chiefly. Some restaurants stayed open by being takeout only. Some set up tables in parking lots to conform to the social distancing edicts.
Many large businesses divided their employees among “essential” and “non-essential.”
It’s true that measures were enacted and enforced differently depending on where in the country you went. Largely, small town and remote rural areas saw the very least intrusions into daily life. And residents would flout the mask and distancing rules put in place. The measures were more draconian and penalties more secere in the big cities. I recall stories out of New York where families were chased out of parks or arrested on beaches for not wearing masks. Restaurants closed when snitches told the police mask-wearing and social distancing rules were not rigidly enforced.
Fierce debates on the “It’s just the flu, bro” threads. If it was all “voluntary” and “your choice” that’s not how it worked in cities with six-digit populations.
I'm calling bullshit on this and asking you to back up your ridiculous claim with citations the way you do with everyone else or retract your assertions.
Concerts were forced to shut down because of travel restrictions and quarantines. Bars, restaurants, and other hygiene businesses were forced to shut down by government executive orders.
Don't you remember that gym owner who kept defying the order in New Jersey to shut down until he was arrested and the city shut down his gym? The same thing happened in California and elsewhere.
I attended the very last concert that was held in the United States, the Eagles Hotel California Tour at the Toyota Center in Houston on March 7, 2020. The place was packed to the rafters with concert-goers who were not afraid of catching COVID-19.
On March 11, 2020, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner canceled the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show when one man in Montgomery County became sick.
After the annual rodeo in Houston was canceled by the mayor, the American Airlines Center in Dallas canceled the next dates of Eagles concert on March 12.
On March 17, 2020, the White House put out memorandum to Department Heads declaring:
The Federal Government is aggressively responding to the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Federal Government, in partnership with state and local governments and the private sector, is adopting a concerted near-term operations posture that will appropriately align critical resources to slow down the transmission of COVID-19, while also ensuring that Government operations continue...Citing the federal government, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued his executive orders:In order to achieve this posture, consistent with The President's Coronavirus Guidelines for America, the Government must immediately adjust operations and services to minimize face-to-face interactions, especially at those offices or sites where people may be gathering in close proximity or where highly vulnerable populations obtain services...
Agency heads shall utilize the full extent of their legal authority and discretion to execute this realignment of non-mission-critical activities, while also ensuring that their agencies continue to serve the American people and operate in the most efficient manner possible to deal aggressively and promptly with the current situation. Agencies shall communicate with their customers to encourage them to delay transactions which are not time-critical and to ensure that available resources can be re-prioritized to mission-critical activities. Agencies shall communicate to the public how service levels may be impacted, and should leverage mechanisms for receiving and acting on feedback.
March 19, 2020 - Executive Order No. GA-08 Relating to COVID-19 preparedness and mitigation.
Order No. 1 - In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.March 26, 2020 - EXECUTIVE ORDER GAll Relating to airport screening and self-quarantine during the COVID-19 disaster.Order No. 2 - In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms or massage parlors; provided, however, that the use of drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options is allowed and highly encouraged throughout the limited duration of this executive order.
Order No. 3 - In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.
Order No. 4 - In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, schools shall temporarily close.
Every person who enters the State of Texas as the final destination through an airport, from a point of origin or point of last departure in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or the City of New Orleans, or in any other state or city as may be proclaimed hereafter, shall be subject to mandatory self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of entry into Texas or the duration of the person’s presence in Texas, whichever is shorter. This order to self-quarantine shall not apply to people traveling in connection with military service, emergency response, health response, or critical-infrastructure functions, as may be determined by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.March 29, 2020 - Relating to roadway screening and self-quarantine during the COVID-19 disaster.
Every person who enters the State of Texas through roadways from Louisiana, or from any other state as may be proclaimed hereafter, shall be subject to mandatory self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of entry into Texas or the duration of the person’s presence in Texas, whichever is shorter. This order to self-quarantine shall not apply to people traveling in connection with commercial activity, military service, emergency response, health response, or critical-infrastructure functions, as may be determined by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.March 31, 2020 - EXECUTIVE ORDER GA14 Relating to statewide continuity of essential services aizd activities during the COVID-19 disaster.
In accordance with guidance from DSHS Commissioner Dr. Hellerstedt, and to achieve the goals established by the President to reduce the spread of COVD-19, every person in Texas shall, except where necessary to provide or obtain essential services, minimize social gatherings and minimize in-person contact with people who are not in the same household.-PJ“Essential services” shall consist of everything listed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce, Version 2.0, plus religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship. Other essential services may be added to this list with the approval of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).
In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms, massage establishments, tattoo studios, piercing studios, or cosmetology salons; provided, however, that the use of drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options for food and drinks is allowed and highly encouraged throughout the limited duration of this executive order.
This executive order does not prohibit people from accessing essential services or engaging in essential daily activities, such as going to the grocery store or gas station, providing or obtaining other essential services, visiting parks, hunting or fishing, or engaging in physical activity like jogging or bicycling, so long as the necessary precautions are maintained to reduce the transmission of COVID- 19 and to minimize inperson contact with people who are not in the same household.
In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall not visit nursing homes, state supported living centers, assisted living facilities, or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance as determined through guidance from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Ha! A lot of them shut down voluntarily, but not because we weren’t going out in public. We all got crammed into the local grocery stores, Walmart, Target, and so on, because we weren’t allowed to go anywhere “nonessential “.
Never mind if you need some new shoes or have outgrown your clothes (for children). Had to buy them only from the Walmarts and Targets of the country, not the usual stores you shop. Or we also got forced to buy things online. No returns allowed.
You’re remembering things quite differently than I do. Plus, you’re justifying the fear they put out there. That fear was just like what they did in Nazi Germany. People became afraid of their Jewish friends and neighbors, and then they turned them in.
Disgusting. Rewriting the lockdowns is disgusting.