After encouraging her fellow citizens to snitch on their neighbors for being in violation of her COVID-19 lockdown orders this Thanksgiving, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) has now told people to “uninvite” their family members.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Brown shared a video telling people to “uninvite” whomever they wanted to spend the beloved holiday with.
“This is hard, but making difficult sacrifices now will save lives,” Brown tweeted. “This Thanksgiving, keep it small. Uninvite them.”
The video then showed a list of people for Oregonians to uninvite, including “your new boyfriend,” “your drunken uncle,” “your argumentative aunt,” “your bragging brother,” and “your vegan niece.”
This is hard, but making difficult sacrifices now will save lives.
This Thanksgiving, keep it small. Uninvite them. pic.twitter.com/4OLOv6s6A0
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) November 24, 2020
Brown instituted an executive order last week preventing Oregon residents from eating out at restaurants or going to the gym while limiting all social gatherings to just six people.
“We are eight months into the pandemic. We all have COVID fatigue. But we must stay vigilant. As the holidays approach, the best way to show our love this season is to rethink how we celebrate. I’m urging all Oregonians to limit their holiday get-togethers and wear a mask!” she tweeted last week.
“I know Oregonians have made tremendous sacrifices throughout this pandemic and that these new, temporary restrictions may seem daunting,” she said in another statement. “But, we are at a breaking point. If we don’t take further action, we risk continued alarming spikes in infections and hospitalizations, and we risk the lives of our neighbors and loved ones.”
“I also know that Oregonians come together in times of need, and we owe it to each other to take these measures seriously. It is up to all of us to work together to get this virus under control,” she added.
As rumors spread that people in her state would be violating the order, Brown then encouraged her citizens to snitch on their neighbors should they be in violation. Speaking with local media on Friday, Brown compared the snitching on neighbors for what they do in the privacy of their own home to that of violating a noise ordinance.
“This is no different than what happens if there’s a party down the street and it’s keeping everyone awake,” Brown said on Friday. “What do neighbors do [in that case]? They call law enforcement because it’s too noisy. This is just like that. It’s like a violation of a noise ordinance.”
Those in violation could face up to 30 days in jail or a $1,250 fine. Brown received immense blowback in response to the order, with the Marion County Sheriff’s office publicly saying they will not enforce it.
“We recognize that we cannot arrest or enforce our way out of the pandemic, and we believe both are counterproductive to public health goals,” the office stated.
Brown denounced her critics as “irresponsible.”
“Look, all of this is irresponsible,” she said. “These are politicians seeking headlines, not public servants trying to save lives. My top priority as governor is to keep Oregonians healthy and safe. That’s where I’m focused.”
“This is about saving lives and it’s about protecting our fellow Oregonians,” she said, also adding: “We have too many sporadic cases in Oregon. We can’t trace these cases to a particular source. We have to limit gatherings and social interactions.”