Just in Time for Christmas, NY Times Stirs Up Omicron Panic: ‘Reconsider’ Family Visits

The Omicron variant was responsible for a significant increase in Covid cases. New York TimesThis is an attempt to get you out of your home, possibly by imposing a government order just in time for Christmas. Although early studies suggest the highly contagious Omicron may not be nearly as deadly as the Delta variant, that didn’t stop the paper from virally spreading panic and using it as an excuse to push the same authoritarian measures — lockdowns and mask mandates — that have failed the past two years.

A Wednesday story by Roni Caryn Rabin and Emily Anthes, “Omicron Will Surge Despite Biden’s New Plan, Scientists Say,” got to the left of President Biden, whose more hopeful address to the nation was faulted as insufficiently activist (again, never mind the indications of low death rates from Omicron).

Many expressed concern about the timid response to public health and lamented the lack of political will. Larger for aggressive steps

(By aggressive steps, read “lockdowns, shuttered businesses, and masks forever.)

….Despite Mr. Biden’s advice on Tuesday, Americans planning family celebrations with grandparents or other potentially vulnerable individuals, or planning New Year’s Eve festivities with friends, should reconsider, some experts said.

Which is why we don’t let epidemiologists run the country.

Reporters Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Otterman took a lecturing tone in their Christmas Eve story, as shown in the headline and subhead: “Omicron Is Spreading Fast. New York can do more to slow it down. — Mayor Bill de Blasio says he doesn’t want to impose new government restrictions. But some health experts say more must be done.”

Omicron is spreading rapidly in New York City, at a pace not seen since early days of pandemic. Health experts and city officials are confronted with an unanswerable dilemma: Is there anything more we can do to stop it spreading?

The reporters passed along some great original ideas from “public health experts”: More shutdowns and masks!

Mayor Bill de Blasio stated that he believes the city can weather this storm without any new government intervention and that vaccination is his key strategy. But some public health experts say that the effort to flatten the curve should also emphasize social distancing, restrictions on large gatherings and more stringent mask-wearing rules….

Times reporters, like the left in general, are amazingly blasé and without empathy towards the people whose lives they’re attempting to throw into chaos for the second Christmas running. You can almost hear the disappointed sigh from the writers in the article below, “Europeans Ponder Living With, Not Defeating, Covid:”

There are still some who disagree with this scaled-down strategy to fight the virus. And it is not clear if the idea can survive the Omicron crush that scientists fear. Even if most cases are mild, they argue, Omicron’s quick-fire spread could still lead to huge caseloads and overwhelming hospital admissions.

Antoine Flahault, the director of the Institute of Global Health in Geneva, said France’s strategy — which went little beyond health passes and had stopped short of imposing stricter measures like bar closures — was nowhere near what was needed to stave off a wave of Omicron cases.

…

Despite the fact that pandemics drag on, politicians are losing their minds to scientists. The Christmas season is prominent in the public health message that’s been dominated by the economic and political calculus for several weeks.