A sheriff from New York is taking a stand and refusing to enforce Governor Andrew Cuomo’s strict COVID-19 Thanksgiving restrictions.
Cuomo, a Democrat, recently announced new coronavirus restrictions for the entire state of New York as Americans prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Among the restrictions was the rule that gatherings in New York must be limited to under ten people, even in private residences. Like the true liberal he is, Cuomo justified these restrictions simply by citing “science.”
“New York follows the science. We know indoor gatherings and parties are a major source of COVID spread,” Cuomo said. “To slow the spread, NYS will limit indoor gatherings at private residences to 10 people. This limit takes effect Friday at 10pm.”
New York follows the science.
We know indoor gatherings and parties are a major source of COVID spread.
To slow the spread, NYS will limit indoor gatherings at private residences to 10 people.
This limit takes effect Friday at 10pm.
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) November 11, 2020
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Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino has since fired back by defying Cuomo, saying that his deputies will not be enforcing the new restrictions. Giardino, who has a law degree, explained in a Facebook post that has since gone viral that he does not believe Cuomo’s COVID-19 regulations are constitutional.
“With regard to the Thanksgiving Executive Order, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will NOT be enforcing it against our County residents,” the fed-up sheriff wrote.
“Frankly, I am not sure it could sustain a Constitutional challenge in Court for several reasons including your house is your castle. And as a Sheriff with a law degree I couldn’t in good faith attempt to defend it Court, so I won’t,” Giardino added. “Who and how many people you invite in to your home is your business, unlike outdoor gatherings which may receive a police response if disorderly or other violations of public nuisance laws occur.”
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The sheriff went on to say that he trusts his local residents to use their “own judgement,” although he did still urge them to take other coronavirus precautions seriously.
Giardino doubled down on this in an interview with the Albany Times Union, saying that Cuomo is “scaring the hell out of people” and that the government should not be legislating in situations where citizens are perfectly capable of exercising “common sense.”
“People have common sense. They are not going to jeopardize family members. They are not going to jeopardize close friends. Most people respect the masks,” Giardino explained. “Basically, as a lawyer, former DA and judge, if I got brought into court, I can’t justify it constitutionally. The threat is not so great that we should be limiting who they can have for Thanksgiving.”
This piece was written by James Samson on November 16, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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