:sigh:
George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco, said at a campus town hall meeting last week.
In Europe, “it’s an observed phenomenon that curfews are associated with turnovers in these rates” of high growth in coronavirus cases, Rutherford said.
For example, France — which observed a quadrupling of daily coronavirus cases over the month of October — decided to enact even stronger measures to deal with its second wave: imposing a broader curfew, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., in the bigger cities; ordering the shutdown of nonessential businesses such as retail stores, restaurants and bars; and making masks mandatory for anyone age 6 and older, Rutherford said.
In recent weeks, new daily cases have fallen in half from the peak. Other similar measures elsewhere in Europe also seem to be successful, Rutherford said.
“This is good news,” he said, “and it again suggests that these kinds of measures are met with fairly rapid success, like within a couple of weeks.”“A curfew will help prevent more people [from gathering] in the late hours of the night, where more high-risk activity may occur,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of public health in San Francisco.
Still the curfew has met with outrage in some quarters. A couple of hundred protesters gathered Saturday night at Huntington Beach Pier in defiance of the state’s coronavirus curfew, which went into effect at 10 p.m. “I think there are too many restrictions as is,” one protester said. Republican lawmakers also slammed the rules as unnecessary.
In L.A., restaurant owners fear they may not survive the latest shutdown of outdoor dining. Still, polls have shown Californians generally support [COVID restrictions.](Californians are wary of reopening too quickly amid coronavirus crisis, new poll says)
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/590879968/politi-fact-california
Yes, Government Shutdowns Help Slow COVID-19 When Combined With Additional Measures, Experts Say
If Your Time Is Short: California state Asm. James Gallagher claimed “Government imposed lockdowns do NOT reduce [COVID-19] cases or stop spikes.” But infectious disease experts say government shutdowns do work by reducing social interaction which, when maintained, cuts down on the spread of COVID-19. Several studies, including from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show government-imposed closures, when combined with mask-wearing, social distancing and hand hygiene, are effective. The studies and experts also point out there’s no single strategy that works on its own.