‘Science or Politics?’: Dan Forest Responds to Cooper’s Lockdown Extension

RALEIGH – Governor Roy Cooper extended lockdown closures, tweaked some restrictions, and mandated children wear face masks via executive edict on Tuesday. Just after the announcement, Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest (Cooper’s 2020 opponent for governor) issued the following response:

“Is this decision based on science or politics? The science has shown for months that gyms, playgrounds and bowling alleys are safe. It must be the politics and polling that is changing with this new decision. The same holds true for other businesses and for schools. Other states have their businesses and schools open. It’s time for fear and panic to be replaced with hope and opportunity. It’s time for Governor Cooper to actually protect the most vulnerable and give North Carolinians their freedoms and livelihoods back.”

It has been painfully obvious to those not invested in the political prospects of Democrats that these lockdown policies have been way more about politics than science. Granted, in the very beginning that ratio may have been more balanced, as we figured out more about the virus and resulting disease. But that balanced ratio went cattywampus quickly, as the actual data came streaming in, telling us that this virus was not nearly as deserving of fear, panic, and lockdown as some would have you believe.