el gato : having experienced the performance art at a high end aerobic (swimming) indoor kids sports event in December, in a 'moderate' county in a 'moderate' state, I don't agree with either of your premises (If I got yours right)

1 - we won't roll over and agree to do this again. I might 2 - we shouldn't blame those who - *not* following science - guessed their ways to all sorts of invented regulations based on conjecture, not knowledge

1. I made a conscious decision to "go along" with the "authorities." This list: The state, local health dept, and the parks and rec center, and the hosting swimming club team. My alternative was to seek an injunction and risk delaying the meet. But I chose instead allow these high end athletes to swim without making a stink (among whom a number went to olympic swimming trials and of them, one qualified for the olympics). I did this so my kid could still swim, and as the performance art was just mildly bad, saving having to put a mask on right after swimming all out for minutes. One kid: "it was like waterboarding, sucking air through a wet mask"

2. I'm not going to do anything about it, but "forgive them, they were well meaning?" Nah. These low level officious fucks were chomping at the bit to invent rules and regs, as you wrote the other day