PRESS RELEASE: Libertarians Oppose COVID-19 Restrictions That Violate People's Rights

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Media Contact: Rajani Maiatico

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 14, 2021

LIBERTARIANS OPPOSE COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS THAT VIOLATE PEOPLE’S RIGHTS

ORANGE COUNTY, CA – The Libertarian Party of Orange County has adopted a resolution opposing laws which “interfere with people's civil liberties, bodily autonomy, property rights, or livelihoods in response to COVID-19,” including government-mandated vaccine requirements and vaccine passports. The resolution calls such policies “a grievous infringement against the rights and sovereignty of individuals” and urges state and local representatives to refuse to implement them.

With the recent surge in COVID-19 transmission rates, public officials are pushing for more restrictions on businesses and the unvaccinated. President Biden has announced plans for vaccine mandates on private employers with over 100 employees, and California lawmakers are considering similar employer mandates. Some cities, such as West Hollywood, are requiring proof of vaccination to enter businesses.

As more people are required to prove their vaccination status, there are media reports that California may implement a vaccine passport system. A vaccine passport is a paper or electronic record that shows the holder’s vaccination status. When mandated by the government, these records can impact the level of basic freedoms a person has in their daily life. The American Civil Liberties Union has recently expressed privacy and discrimination concerns with vaccine passports. In 2008, the ACLU warned that, during pandemics, coercion and brute force are generally counterproductive and “the notion that we need to ‘trade liberty for security’ is misguided and dangerous.”

“Libertarians are not only concerned about the civil liberties and privacy implications of these policies,” said David Naranjo, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Orange County. “It’s also an issue of the government telling people what they must do with their own bodies in order to freely live their lives, and telling business owners who they can and can’t hire or do business with.”

To read the full text of the Libertarian Party of Orange County’s resolution, go to: https://www.lpoc.org/single-post/resolution-covid-19-restrictions

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The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 and is the third largest political party in the United States. The Libertarian Party of Orange County seeks to promote libertarian principles in government and expand freedom for every individual by electing candidates to office, influencing public policy, and educating the general public.