May 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A California county health official has now backtracked on his statement declaring that individuals infected with the coronavirus would be forcibly removed from their homes if they didn’t have a bathroom designated solely for their own use.
“Every person who we’re isolating, for instance, needs to have their own bathroom,” said Ventura County Health Department director Dr. Robert Levin, in a briefing with the county’s board of supervisors on Tuesday.
“And so we’ll be moving people like this into other kinds of housing that we have available,” he added.
Levin walked back his statement in a subsequent press conference: “If I gave people the impression that if you were isolated, you would be taken out of your home, and put into a hotel room or motel room or sequestered in some other way — if I did do that, I am very sorry.”
He justified his remarks as follows:
That is an option. That is possible. If you become infected, you don’t want to stay in your home, you’re afraid that you’ll expose other people, we’ll work with you to find a place to stay. And, it’s likely to be a hotel or a motel. We will desire for you to have your own room in your place of residence and a bathroom that can be dedicated to just you. Now, not everyone is fortunate enough to have more than one bathroom, so we’ll work with you.
But it was too late.
Many who heard Dr. Levin’s initial comments took to social media to sound the alarm that children could be taken from their parents’ homes by the government.
“WHAT WOULD YOU DO if your six year old son or daughter tested positive for COVID19 and was taken from your home to a quarantine center by Ventura Health Authorities? This SHOCKING VIDEO demands that you plan ahead,” tweeted Del Bigtree, CEO of anti-vaccination group Informed Consent Action Network, on Tuesday.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO if your six year old son or daughter tested positive for COVID19 and was taken from your home to a quarantine center by Ventura Health Authorities? This SHOCKING VIDEO demands that you plan ahead. #BeBrave #HistoryRepeating pic.twitter.com/e5RC7dCO7o
— Del Bigtree (@delbigtree) May 6, 2020
“Who is OK with this?” asked one person on Facebook. “What if it’s your child?”
“Threats from Ventura if you have the virus, can’t be isolated from your family they will take you away,” wrote another.
Others imagined darker scenarios that might be played out.
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“This sounds like something very concerning, I’m sure they can keep you away or stop you having contact, then drop the bombshell your child has died and you won’t be able to attend the service,” said Keith Poker in a tweet.
“Could this be a cover for something more sinister?” he wondered.
This sounds like something very concerning, I’m sure they can keep you away or stop you having contact, then drop the bombshell your child has died and you won’t be able to attend the service. Could this be a cover for something more sinister?
— Keith poker (@Keithpoker1) May 6, 2020
‘There was no misinterpretation’
“When the director of the Ventura County Health Department, Dr. Robert Levin, said, ‘Children who test positive for coronavirus could be forcibly removed from their homes,’ it struck a national nerve,” noted Fox News’s Trace Gallagher on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
“Now Dr. Levin says he might have been misinterpreted or gave the wrong impression, except there was no misinterpretation,” asserted Gallagher.
“When the tweets hit the fan, Dr. Levin walked it back, way back,” he added.
Some suggested that Dr. Levin’s initial statement was a test run to see if county residents would push back on his policy declaration.
“They got their hand slapped on this test balloon, and just issued a clarification that it’s ‘voluntary,’” tweeted one person.
“But the vid said they’re hiring & training a Covid Gestapo of spies and snitches,” continued the tweet. “When that’s fully operational, you can count on it that home removals won’t be voluntary.”
They got their hand slapped on this test balloon, and just issued a clarification that's it's”voluntary.” But the vid said they're hiring & training a Covid Gestapo of spies and snitches.
When that's fully operational, you can count on it that home removals won't be voluntary.
— Shark Tank Trading LLC (@SharkTankTrader) May 7, 2020
“They saw the response of people and backed off for now,” tweeted another. “..eyes open…ears open.”
They saw the response of people and backed off for now..eyes open..ears open
— YouGotThis (@YouGotT25656772) May 7, 2020
“And yet California is actively promoting what it hopes will become an army of 20,000 disease detectives to find everyone who is unknowingly infected with the goal of tracking, tracing, and isolating those who test positive,” said Fox News’s Gallagher.
“Or as the Contra Costa County Public Health Director said, ‘Ultimately it’s a customer service.’”
“Talk about Orwellian! It’s ‘customer service,’” concluded Tucker Carlson.