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Lockdown stickler Lori Lightfoot is now an advocate of opening bars and restaurants ‘quickly as possible’

January 15, 2021 | | Print Article
  1. In what was very predictable, now that the 2020 presidential election is behind us — at least in terms of reported results —  Democrats are beginning to take on a very different attitude about lockdowns.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is helping lead the parade of Democrats suddenly switching their tune, and is now calling on restaurants and bars to be allowed to reopen “as quickly as possible.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, put a halt to indoor service in late October as part of the state’s virus mitigation plan, according to CBS Chicago. Pritzker said some regions of the state can begin rolling back some COVID-19 restrictions starting Friday if they meet certain virus thresholds, but restaurants and bars are not yet included.

Suddenly an advocate for the industry, Lightfoot said these establishments are highly regulated and would be “one of the safer places” for residents to visit, the CBS affiliate reported.

“They’ve gone above and beyond to put in mitigation controls inside of the restaurants,” she said. “I feel very strongly that we are very close to a point when we should be talking about opening up our bars and restaurants.”

Public health experts disagree, for what it’s worth, but Lightfoot expressed concern about people engaging in more risky behavior.

In what calls-to-mind speakeasies from yesteryear, the mayor said the ban on indoor dining and bar service has resulted in people holding underground parties, which are at greater risk of spreading the China virus.

Reopening bars and restaurants would allow people to go where precautions can be enforced.

“If we have people and give them an outlet for entertainment in the restaurant space, in the bar space, we have much more of an opportunity, in my view, to be able to regulate and control that environment,” Lightfoot said. “People are engaging in risky behavior that is not only putting themselves at risk but putting their families, their co-workers, and other ones at risk. Let’s bring it out of the shadows. Let’s allow them to have some recreation in restaurants, in bars, where we can actually work with responsible owners and managers to regulate and protect people from COVID-19.”

The timing of Lightfoot’s stance cannot be ignored, nor can New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sudden change of heart about lockdowns, as noted by conservative blogger Matt Walsh.

Of course, spouting such an opinion before the election would have a person held up for scorn, with CNN launching an in-depth investigation to highlight the sin.

Just ask California-based celebrity chef Andrew Gruel, who reacted to the story to say he “was vilified” eight weeks ago for saying the exact thing.

Gruel wasn’t alone in calling out not only the hypocrisy but the Democrats’ apparent politicization of the pandemic.

Here’s a sampling of responses to the story from Twitter that weren’t censored by the social media platform:

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Tom Tillison
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