After my post yesterday, I had planned to move up my Orangutan Update for today. I looked forward to lifting that weight, unfortunately a new one haa been added.
I tried to do this post last night, but just couldn't find the words that weren't laden with vulgarity. I tried to form sentences, through welling tears of frustration, as I sat listening to the revelers at the bar around the corner, that continues to host gatherings on their patio that is a few backyards from mine. The level of upset, was mounting. Once again, the people who have given the middle finger to this Pandemic are the reason we are still in this shit for almost ten months.
The opening paragraph went like this...
Well, Happy F'ing New Year from the City of San Francisco! They couldn't wait til tomorrow? Had to get it out there on a night when we are all thinking about what the New Year will bring.
I caught this by chance on Twitter, a user wrote: Breaking News! ... The Zoo would remain closed Indefinitely.
Here is the link to the News story.
The full Press Release for the updated Orders is in the article. This is a screencap notating the Zoo.
I read this about 9:30p and far past midnight I was still fuming. Initially I made a video as I did during the first shutdown, but YouTube wouldn't recognize the tablet video file. If you saw any of my videos from that time, you know the vibe. So trying to form sentences that were suitable for this blog was not coming to me easy. So I'm giving it another go now. Believe me, the Outrage is still very real and will continue to be, because keeping the Zoo closed is not justifiable.
I still have the same questions as I did in June when the Botanical Garden was allowed to reopen and the Zoo was not. This time around there are even more questions. All basically started with WTF?
Since March, at the start of the Pandemic, we were given guidelines at City, State, and National level. Those of us who wanted to stay safe, picked through the inconsistent advice and have worn a mask, distanced, and upped our hygiene practice from the start. Government continued to be fluid with guidelines, and it was clear, those guidelines and orders were not going to be enforced and because of that, this was not going away.
Over nine months later, with inconsistent orders, the situation of Shutdowns has gotten ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, if everything shutdown for a short period of time I'd have no problem with it. In fact, as this went on a few months, in hindsight, I wondered why this was not done at the start and we might have been over it quickly. That said, it was not done, and here we are.
When the second Stay At Home Order happened, that closed the Zoo last month, I thought, hello, wasn't the first one never lifted? Stay At Home in SF is a joke. No one stays at home. From the start the Park looked like a weekend day, everyday and still does. The majority do not wear masks, never have. Most don't make any effort to Distance. As a Richmond District lifelong resident, the Park had been part of my daily routine, but I've given up going to the Park, because for me, its one big obstacle course of health assault.
I'm mostly not telling anyone anything they don't already know about the situation, but trying to illustrate why these Orders are nonsense, if they are not enforced.
No repercussion for non-compliance has been frustrating, but the Zoo was open. Now, it's a whole new frustration as the current restrictions make even less sense than they did in June when the Botanical Gardens was allowed to reopen before the Zoo. The BG has been allowed to remain open.
Over the last month, we have seen what I consider biased exemptions. I don't get all the news, as I only listen to news radio the three days a week I'm out and whatever comes my way via Twitter. To my surprise and outrage, the first one I heard about was Shopping Malls being open. WTF? Then it was the Playgrounds, after the State bowed to the whiners. The other night, I found out the Japanese Tea Garden has also been open this whole time. That place is tight spaced and has skinny paths. I just went with the outrage as there was one more week and the Zoo would be back open.
So here we are. The Zoo closed Indefinitely. All the above still gets to happen, yet the Zoo, an outdoor facility has to close. I need to have someone explain the thought process to this, because it makes no sense and is causing my blood to boil.
I will seek out answers. I want to know who to blame. In general, I blame those who have given the middle finger to the situation. The true Epidemic is Self-Entitlement. I also blame all Government Officials, as allowing non-compliance without repercussions, has caused this Pandemic to continue. That said, in reference to what can be open and what can not, I want to know who to blame for those decisions. Who decided the SFZoo has to remain shutdown, while other places are open. Is the San Francisco Health Director implementing his own guidelines, or following those of the State?
I need answers how these orders are logical, because as it is, this all just seems to be political lip flapping. If they don't do something, they will be crucified for not doing anything. Yet what they are doing is not justified. There is clear imbalance to any reasoning, about the Park places versus the Zoo, and especially after the whole whining gets playgrounds opened crap, this all screams bias.
I read in one of the comments to this news story that the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert is open. Here is a link to how this was made possible and a screencap sample of their statement.
Time will tell if other California Zoos will revolt. All Zoos should have sought to have reclassification of Zoos to outdoor ... Maybe they did and were denied? On what basis?
Maybe if the San Francisco Zoo was not part of a City Park system, meaning there was no park to compare it to, then I wouldn't be so outraged, but there is and its a valid comparison.
The San Francisco Zoo is safer than the Park. The Zoo can be reopened with further reduction in attendance. They were allowed to reopen in July at 50% which surprised me, as it was higher than other State and National Zoos. If the concern is the gathering aspect, reduce the limit, but closing all together in comparison is outrageous and irresponsible.
This is not just about me being able to go to the Zoo. This is about fairness. This is about how asinine reasoning, that will take away funds will affect lives. Obviously non-Human lives don't matter to Government Officials.
Do these Officials plan to provide financial relief to the Zoos? All we hear about is relief for businesses, for humans, what about how it affects the non-human lives that depend on the shelter, food, and care that their Zoo homes provide?
Between many worrisome circumstances at the Zoo that have been mounting for years, creating in my opinion a serious decline in the Zoo, and these Shutdowns, I fear our SFZoo won't see 2022.
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