L.A. County health officials are allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor dining this weekend but have banned the use of televisions, thus preventing Super Bowl watch parties.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he was lifting all regional stay-at-home orders, reopening many of the state’s businesses, though still at reduced capacities. L.A. County followed that this week by telling restaurants that they may resume outdoor dining at 50 percent capacity, Fox 11 reported.
However, one thing that county officials are still discouraging are gatherings for the Super Bowl. On Wednesday L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned NFL fans not to hold Super Bowl parties this year for fear they could become a coronavirus “super-spreader” event.
Ferrer insisted that Super Bowl parties are a bad idea this year, saying, “It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes a super-spreader of coronavirus.”
On the heels of Wednesday’s proclamation, Fox LA’s Bill Melugin reported that officials have put that moratorium on Super Bowl parties into action by telling restaurants that TVs must remain turned off.
“Outdoor dining has reopened in L.A. County as of today, but now the Health Department is banning restaurants from having their TVs turned on for customer,” Melugin reported.
Melugin added that the new health dept. orders tell restaurants: “Televisions or any other screens that are used to broadcast programming must be removed from the area or turned off. This provision is effective until further notice.”
The Fox reporter noted that officials want to “stop people from watching the Super Bowl outdoors at sports bars/restaurants.” But the ban may just send people into private residences during the game.
Directly from the new health order: “Televisions or any other screens that are used to broadcast programming must be removed from the area or turned off. This provision is effective until further notice.”
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) January 29, 2021
Further details on the new health order for outdoor dining. https://t.co/wMbf6zVF4A
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) January 29, 2021
The ban of TVs was widely ridiculed on social media:
Apparently TVs now spread COVID https://t.co/gkFEOUcc3Y
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) January 29, 2021
they should banning wifi too make sure you cannot watch from your smartphone.
— wsww (@Wesley56429166) January 29, 2021
California has to be the dumbest place in America https://t.co/1mgSuBPowK
— Mindy (@just_mindy) January 29, 2021
It's all about control and conformity for the peasants.
— Michelle Sanford 🇺🇸 (@mwsanford) January 29, 2021
New COVID-19 information: Televisions help spread the virus. https://t.co/Y8SykxWowe
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) January 29, 2021
"science" https://t.co/xPsfB6x0tZ
— Jessica O’Donnell (@heckyessica) January 29, 2021
Just when I thought California couldn't get any dumber. https://t.co/PC3kxaU9p8
— Matthew Westhoff (@mjwesthoff) January 29, 2021
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