Echoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned city residents this week to prepare for a “full shutdown” as part of ongoing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. The two elected officials better not hold their breath waiting for compliance. Evidence from around the country shows that many Americans are thoroughly sick of impoverishing, socially isolating lockdown orders, and are revolting against the often-hypocritical politicians who issue them.

“The governor said in a New York Times interview over the weekend that we should prepare for the possibility of a full shutdown. I agree with that,” Mayor de Blasio told interviewers on December 14. “We need to recognize that that may be coming and we’ve got to get ready for that now, because we cannot let this virus keep growing.”

The mayor commented following Cuomo’s ban on indoor dining at New York City restaurants. That was issued a week after Staten Island residents cheered bar owner Daniel Presti, who was arrested for defying pandemic restrictions. Days later, Presti ran his car into a sheriff’s deputy who sought to rearrest him for continuing to serve patrons. Both of the deputy’s legs were broken.

While Presti’s level of violent resistance against lockdowns is much too extreme, he’s not alone in his opposition. From coast to coast, businesses and individuals are ignoring restrictive rules that threaten their livelihoods, stifle social contact, and threaten to strangle the necessary interactions of everyday life.

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