That's according to a new report by Politico, which notes how, "Omicron is surging — and Democrats aren't shutting things down this time."

"From New York to California, Democratic mayors and governors are fighting to keep schools and businesses open with an urgency they haven't flexed before in the pandemic," writes Lisa Kashinsky.

That sea change likely has a lot to do with Republicans securing a November clean sweep of the House, as well as the offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia.

Republican Glenn Youngkin appealed to parents who were angry over school closures and other issues such as mask mandates, while New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy came closer to defeat than expected over frustrations relating to COVID restrictions.

Big events such as the Super Bowl in L.A. will now go ahead, while the likes of Fauci and Biden refrained from telling Americans to cancel holiday plans despite record case numbers caused by Omicron.

"Democrats went further than most Republicans in shutting down businesses, enforcing social distancing and requiring masks to tame the spread of the virus — and were initially rewarded politically for their caution," states the report.