Rhode Island’s governor has joined the ranks of apparently hypocritical Democrats photographed enjoying maskless outings after urging ordinary citizens to stay housebound in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
A photo taken by Erica Oliveras and shared by Liberty RI shows Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo sitting at a table in Barnaby’s Public House in Providence without a mask.
According to ABC6, Oliveras claimed Raimondo “only took her mask off whenever she was drinking her wine” and that the issue has been blown out of proportion. The photo, however, clearly shows Raimondo sitting without her mask and without taking a drink.
“The main thing I took out of it is, ‘wow, she’s here at a small business and she’s supporting,” Oliveras said. “She came in. She supported. She bought wine. She engaged.”
Other Rhode Islanders found their governor’s actions hypocritical, especially due to the fact that they occurred just four days after she urged folks across the state to “stay home except for essential activities & wear a mask anytime you’re with people you don’t live with.”
It’s week two of our pause. I know it's been hard, but I want to thank every Rhode Islander who's following our guidance. Please, stay home except for essential activities & wear a mask anytime you’re with people you don’t live with. Together, we can turn our case numbers around.
— Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) December 7, 2020
Susan Goodman, a Providence resident, told ABC6 that Raimondo “shouldn’t even be at an event like that.”
“You can drink wine at home,” said Goodman. “I’m an experienced wine drinker, Gina. Do it at home.”
According to Rhode Island’s shutdown guidelines, indoor dining is allowed at up to a third of a restaurant’s seating capacity. Meanwhile, indoor entertainment facilities like movie theaters, bowling centers, and arcades are forced to stay closed through December 20.
Raimondo’s faux-pas follows the pattern of a handful of other prominent Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Governor Gavin Newsom (and his state’s top health officials), and San Francisco Mayor London Breed who were spotted enjoying maskless outings after having warned average Americans of the need to stay home.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with Raimondo, or any other person patronizing a local business. The glaring issue that even Raimondo’s own office is ignoring is that she is admonishing all the little, insignificant citizens of the state to stay locked up in their homes except for essential outings while she goes out for wine.
If it’s safe for the governor to do, why is she telling the rest of the state to stay home?
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