Somehow In 2023, The Media Is Still Talking About Indoor Dining Being Dangerous Because Of COVID
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a number of substantial changes to how we view the world. Most were an enormous net negative; school closures were viewed as a necessary, justifiable policy. Masks went from a widely-ignored, unproven facial decoration to an absolute must, mandates enforced with extreme zealotry and unearned moral superiority.
Vaccine passports came into effect, with discrimination and travel bans suddenly cheered by a media and political ideology that previously demanded "tolerance" and "inclusion."
But another, equally insidious, alteration was the incursion of safetyism. A mindset where any intervention, policy, behavior change or closure was justified in the name of "staying safe." Regardless of whether the differences were remotely effective in keeping people safe. And it's still manifesting itself today.
Celebrities continue to wear masks in late 2023, trying to accomplish the impossible: avoid getting COVID, an endemic respiratory virus, by wearing face coverings that do nothing to prevent infection from COVID.
And in yet another example of how this turn to safetyism is causing permanent damage to society, as winter approaches, major media outlets are fielding questions about the "safety" of indoor dining. Because of a potential COVID surge. In November 2023.
It's never going to end.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 11: Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on January 11, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The committee will hear testimony about the federal response to COVID-19 and new, emerging variants. (Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)
COVID Fanaticism Leads To Permanent Disconnection From Reality
Bloomberg recently posted a newsletter on the safety or dangers of indoor dining in response to a question from a reader. It's as bad as it sounds.
"With Covid on the rise, is it safe to dine indoors, especially in local restaurants in NYC? — Emily, New York, New York"
In a sane, evidence-based world, the answer would have been one word: yes.
But whatever shreds of sanity and evidence-based thinking existed in our world instantly vanished in March 2020, when incompetent, often malicious "experts" abandoned all pretense of objectivity in favor of politically motivated advocacy.
Bloomberg responded to the question by posing the question back to the reader.
"To go back to the question of indoor dining, ask yourself: How worried are you about getting sick?" the response read. "And are you vaccinated and boosted? Will you be around loved ones with risk factors, such as illness or age, that make them more likely to become severely ill?"
For decades, people ate indoors at restaurants during winter respiratory virus season without asking themselves these ridiculous questions. Despite the risks of colds or the flu, society functioned normally from November-March. Because the risks are minimal for the overwhelming majority of people, restaurants aren't hot beds of disease, and most people accepted that getting sick was a normal, unavoidable part of life, not something that could be avoided with panicked, micromanaged behavior.
But those were the good old days. Now, we must ask ourselves whether or not we're "vaccinated and boosted," despite the original vaccination series losing its authorization from the FDA.
READ: THE ORIGINAL COVID VACCINES ARE NO LONGER AUTHORIZED BY THE FDA
And the fact that the booster doses are targeted to a variant that's no longer circulating.
Safetyism Is Endless For Millions Of People
Bloomberg also quoted a supposed "expert" who engages in some of the most remarkably neurotic behavior you'll ever read about. She carries a "carbon dioxide monitor" with her when going indoors to see if the buildings are "well-ventilated." No, seriously.
"She also points out there are ways to make indoor dining safer," the article reads. "You can visit restaurants during slower periods, or pick places that are relatively spacious. Wallace says she also carries a carbon dioxide monitor with her to check whether places are well-ventilated. But keep in mind there’s no way to completely eliminate the possibility of catching Covid."
It's now been roughly four years since the start of COVID, these terrified individuals have been wearing masks and getting vaccinated and boosted every few months, the risks have decreased with less virulent variants and widespread immunity and circulation is extremely low. And yet they're still carrying carbon dioxide monitors to check on indoor dining. Unbelievable.
Instead of responding to the ludicrous question with the only acceptable answer: "stop worrying and go eat indoors," Bloomberg, as is so often the case with major media outlets, ran to a proponent of permanent safetyism. Until these terrified individuals are forced to confront and accept reality, how will they ever stop living in unnecessary fear?
The answer, of course, is they won't.
And it all started because we abandoned evidence in favor of panic, permanently altering the world unnecessarily. Great work, "experts."