Pro-Lockdown California Gov. Gavin Newsom Has COVID

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), one of the most ardent proponents of several lockdown policies during the coronavirus pandemic, though often skirting his own rules, tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, he announced on social media.

This AM, I tested positive for COVID-19 and am currently experiencing mild symptoms. Grateful to be vaccinated & for treatments like Paxlovid.

I’m following health guidelines and will be isolating while I work remotely.

Wishing everyone a safe & healthy Memorial Day weekend.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 28, 2022

Newsom used emergency powers to shut down businesses and even churches throughout the pandemic, gaining notoriety for having some of the most draconian policies in the country. At the same time, he also defied his own rules, infamously having dinner, maskless, with lobbyists at the elite French Laundry restaurant shortly after telling people to avoid restaurants, and taking off his mask during the NFC Championship football game despite a county mandate requiring masks in the stadium.

California is in the midst of a modest COVID-19 surge, comparable to the summer surges of 2020 and 2021, dating roughly to the Easter holiday season. The current test positivity rate across the state is 7.0%, though deaths have been falling, which officials have interpreted as a sign that vaccination efforts have worked in suppressing more extreme symptoms of the virus.

Newsom is thought to be angling for a future presidential run, taking on national issues and attacking Republican governors in other states, most recently over the mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas. California has not avoided such shootings or high homicide numbers despite having gun control laws that other Democrats say they wish to adopt across the country.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.