Topic: Public Health Orders

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a controversial public health order suspending open and concealed carry rights in Bernalillo County and Albuquerque for 30 days. The governor argued that gun violence constitutes a health emergency, asserting that no constitutional right is absolute. Legal experts and journalists questioned the constitutionality of the move, suggesting it may be a political maneuver to raise her national profile.

New public health orders in Western Canada have banned indoor organized gatherings and mandated the closure of bars, nightclubs, and gyms until at least January 18th. Restaurants remain open with a six-person limit per table, while seated venues like theaters are restricted to 50% capacity.

A video from Australia shows police confronting a citizen for sunbathing on a beach, stating it is not an "essential reason" to be outside under COVID-19 public health orders. The officer threatened the individual with a fine and demanded identification, despite the citizen's arguments regarding common law. Australia's enforcement measures are described as a "worst-case scenario" for civil liberties.

Professor Lee Riley told infectious disease students that public health is the only thing preventing the "complete collapse of the world order." He urged graduates not to return to a "pre-pandemic normal," but instead to use their positions to address health disparities and reshape the public health system permanently.