The COVID-19 pandemic

[MidTowner]

It does seem to make sense that different areas would open different.

As for the "fines" they have nothing to do with that, fines should be issued for people breaking the rules (after receiving warning), whether you agree with the rules or not.  There is not a systemic problem here with the rules, and they are changing, if you get ample warning, you have no excuse.

That being said, I do think that private gatherings are probably some of the last things which should be opened up.  I'm no epidemiolist, but from my understanding and my reading, outdoor is better than indoor, farther is better than closer, shorter is better than longer, and less people is better than more people.

Personal visits might meet the less people criteria, but they fail on basically every other count, yes, some people will sit on opposite ends of their back yard, but I suspect most people who have company will spend some time indoors, and in closer proximity as a result.

Same follows for businesses.

What I meant is that, even if it's not possible for the emergency order to be varied to such a degree between regions, definitely law enforcement in some regions could use discretion- whether in terms of issuing fines, or enforcing those aspects of the order at all.

Hopefully as we learn more there can be more thorough cost/benefit analyses on each type of restriction. In my opinion, forbidding private gatherings in private homes is extremely intrusive, and it had better make a big impact if it's to be tolerated.

I'm not sure that I buy your logic about personal visits and risk. Most people want to do their part to slow the spread- it's possible to conduct many small personal gatherings mostly outdoors, or mostly not too close.

That's not true of many workplaces that have already been permitted to open. I know what you're going to say, that those businesses are being opened because we need to get the economy going. That's fine, but the ability to get together and enjoy each other's company has value, too, even if it can't easily be measured in dollars and cents.