Five years after COVID lockdowns: The 5 most bizarre ‘Stop-the-Spread' moments

Fox News

17-03-2025

As the U.S. nears the five-year mark since nationwide lockdowns turned toilet paper into a hot commodity, Fox News Digital took a look back at some of the most controversial mandates – those that sparked debate – and, to some, defied logic.
Former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was a ubiquitous sight throughout the pandemic, during the administrations of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
The octogenarian allergist, who had been with the government since 1968 and appointed head of the NIH's infectious disease arm by former President Ronald Reagan, was often lambasted for contradictory or questionable medical orders.
Fauci drew heat for apparent contradictions in mask-wearing orders, with critics often locking onto the certainty with which the Brooklynite announced each countervailing development.
In March 2020, Fauci told "60 Minutes" about "unintended consequences" of wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"People keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face," he said, suggesting germs and viruses could be spread by too much fidgeting.
Soon after, and for most of the rest of the pandemic, Fauci was adamant that Americans must wear masks nearly at all times in public.
He raised eyebrows further when he told CNBC it might be time to double up on masks – a stance that clashed with claims from right-wing physicians who warned that excessive face coverings could obstruct breathing.
"If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective," Fauci said.
National Review writer David Harsanyi balked at the order at the time, quipping, "No, thanks, Dad."
Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented at the time about Fauci's varied orders:
"Dr. Fauci is a very good public-health official. His job is to advise policymakers and inform the public, but his job is not to decide what we can do, where we can go or which places can open or close. His job is not to mislead or scare us into doing the [supposed] right things," the Floridian said.
Pennsylvania's most visible shutdown-opposing lawmaker, who later ran for governor on a related "Walk as Free People" slogan, regularly quipped in public remarks at people he would see driving alone in their cars on Interstate 81 while wearing a mask.
"You can't make this stuff up," Sen. Doug Mastriano often repeated.
New York City is known for its pizza, bagels, heros and chopped cheese – but western New York holds another food item just as dear – the Buffalo wing.
The COVID-19 lockdowns proved the love upstaters have for their chicken apps after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out what "substantive food" a watering hole has to offer in order for patrons to go out for a drink.
"To be a bar, you have to have food available. Soups, sandwiches – More than just hors d'oeuvres, chicken wings; you had to have some substantive food," he said.
New Yorkers used to sloshing Frank's Red Hot on their chicken became Red Hot themselves and lambasted the governor for appearing to define their beloved dish as less than a meal.
The outrage led to a New York state communications official later tweeting a diagrammed-sentence breakdown of Cuomo's comments, seeking to illustrate that the clause "more than just hors d'oeuvres" was an interjection and that "chicken wings" were to be associated with the "soups, sandwiches" mentioned – but the damage had been done.
In return, bars began charging a dollar or so each for a slice of deli meat, a handful of croutons or a single french fry in order to allow their patrons an end-round around the edict and have a cold one.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf instituted a similar ban – requiring a meal to be purchased before alcohol could be served. The state police's bureau of liquor enforcement patrolled towns to enforce the mandate and other regulations, warning small-town saloons that their liquor licenses were on the line.
When many restaurants were closed for eat-in dining in Pennsylvania, several lawmakers held a demonstration in Lebanon outside what was then the Taste of Sicily Italian Restaurant.
Several area lawmakers – state Reps. Russ Diamond, Frank Ryan and the late Dave Arnold – joined Mastriano and restaurant manager Mike Mangano to decry "stop the spread" orders that cut off family restaurants' income.
Flanked by the others, Diamond read from Article I Sec. 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which stated "all power is inherent in the people… and they have at all times an inalienable… right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such matter they see fit."
"That means," he said, "You can exercise your constitutional right to abolish the interminable b---- of this government, which happens to be the governor's obtuse, stupid and bass-ackward orders."
In Pennsylvania, Wolf and Health Secretary Rachel Levine were ubiquitous on the airwaves with their lockdown provisions and orders – from traffic-light color-coded maps instructing which counties' residents could have varying levels of freedom, to Levine's daily warning on TV to "stay home, stay calm, stay safe."
Early in the shutdown period, the Wolf administration utilized a seven-decade-old state law aimed at blunting a syphilis outbreak as legal backing for some of their orders.
In April 2020, a York woman was charged under that statute when she tried to quell her cabin fever with a Sunday drive.
Anita Shaffer told local media at the time she had been returning home from a drive when she passed police parked in the town of Yoe.
Originally stopped for a broken taillight, Shaffer was ultimately issued a $202 ticket for violating the Disease Prevention and Control Act of 1955, which was described to her as the "stay-at-home-act" in force at the time – to which she pleaded "not guilty."
Current Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday – a Republican who was then York County's district attorney – later expressed opposition to the state's lockdown orders and told the York Daily Record he wouldn't prosecute businesses Wolf's classifications deemed "nonessential" if they opened before Harrisburg said so.
Police said after the incident: "Sunday drives are not essential travel."
Drivers on the state's highways also encountered other unique COVID order roadblocks.
Mastriano spoke at several demonstrations in Harrisburg, Lancaster and beyond, and recounted some such experiences.
Pennsylvania rest areas were briefly closed to "stop the spread," he noted, adding how incredulous it was to come upon an Interstate 81 rest area on his commute, see it barricaded closed, and then see several big-rigs parked dangerously close to traffic on the shoulder in a line for the ensuing mile.
Republicans in Pennsylvania later drafted a constitutional amendment ballot initiative seeking to claw back some of the restrictions. Some proponents cited what they called a biblical irony in the randomly-assigned bill number – SB 836 – which echoed John 8:36's admonition "If Christ sets you free, you are free indeed."
Another stop-the-spread order that led to public outcry affected children more than those of-age to travel or drink.
Cities from California to New Jersey began dumping sand into skate parks, playgrounds, and public areas to prevent groups or crowds from the recreation sites.
Tons of sand were dumped into public skate parks in Los Angeles, which enraged professional and amateur shredders alike.
In April 2020, skaters were so fed up with the city of Los Angeles that they brought their own shovels to clear sand from the iconic Venice Beach skate park.
Professional skater Paul Rodriguez told "The Undefeated" at the time that the move was "a little stronger than [the city] needed to do."
"I was like, damn, that's aggressive… But as a human, I'm like, we're going through a pandemic, I mean, we've got to do what we got to do," Rodriguez said.
Skate "bowls" in San Clemente, California, were also filled in with 37 tons of sand after skaters ignored several "No Trespassing" signs.
In Pittsburgh, skaters climbed over closed fences and cut locks, according to the public works department, when local media asked about its own decision to fill the parks with sand.
In other cities, public basketball hoops were removed from backboards, while 2x4s were nailed to cover other baskets in an effort to prevent people from congregating.
While lockdown policies in many states had either intentional or unintentional consequences on the consumption of alcohol, the Northeast was incongruently affected by such a change in social behavior.
In August 2021, as some states began slowly slackening some of their orders, others retained a tough stance to "stop the spread."
Virginia, Pennsylvania and several other states employ "state stores" or "ABC" outlets to sell alcohol that is effectively solely available from the state government.
One state that doesn't is Delaware. With its regional tax-free shopping mecca in Christiana and the availability of liquor in mega-stores like Total Wine, it is often a draw for higher-tax or socially-stricter states around it.
COVID-19 made the First State no different, as Pennsylvania continued to keep its state stores closed, Philadelphians and others tried to find new ways to get their alcohol legally.
Just as Pennsylvania's side of its state lines is dotted with fireworks outlets geared toward out-of-state visitors, a liquor superstore stands just yards inside Delaware at I-95 and DE-92.
The store began seeing a major influx of out-of-state patrons who snuck across from Marcus Hook – until Delaware instituted a travel ban and then-Gov. John Carney's administration gave police authority to pull over any out-of-state-tagged vehicle.
The parking lot of the Total Wine was a hub for such activity, as thirsty Pennsylvanians converged on the market to purchase their drinks of choice and zip home.
DSP Cpl. Michael Austin responded to the situation in a statement to the Delco Times:
"The primary intent and goal of the Delaware State Police is to uphold their sworn duties by providing information to the public that we serve, in order to gain voluntary compliance with the mandates, and to promote, and further ensure public safety and health."
Similar dynamics occurred across state lines around the country as well, but not to the high-profile nature media-wise of the "Naamans Road checkpoint."