Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney shuts down restaurants, dines at neighboring state's restaurant
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits hair salon
▲Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, dining out at a restaurant during a visit to Maryland (Photo by Instagram)
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] While senior U.S. politicians are urging citizens to strictly follow COVID-19 prevention guidelines, they themselves are being criticized for not adhering to these rules.
According to CNN and others on the 2nd, Jim Kenney, mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was recently spotted dining at a restaurant in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, outside his jurisdiction.
After Philadelphia city banned indoor dining at restaurants starting March 16 due to the impact of COVID-19, he visited a neighboring state to enjoy dining out.
Mark Betry, a local restaurant owner, shared the controversial photo on Instagram, criticizing, "While restaurants in Philadelphia are struggling to survive, you are enjoying a meal in Maryland without wearing a mask or practicing social distancing."
He sarcastically added, "Your statements that indoor dining is dangerous and all your previous press conference remarks apparently do not apply to yourself. Thank you for clarifying all this."
As criticism against Mayor Kenney intensified, he admitted to visiting the restaurant on the 29th of last month and apologized.
Mayor Kenney explained on Twitter, "I thought the county I visited had a lower risk with fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases compared to Philadelphia, which has over 33,000 confirmed cases."
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also drew criticism for violating official prevention guidelines by visiting a hair salon.
Fox News reported that Speaker Pelosi visited a hair salon in San Francisco, California, on the 31st of last month (local time) to receive a hair drying service.
Video footage showed Pelosi moving around inside the salon without wearing a mask.
The issue is that San Francisco city had closed all hair salons since March to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Authorities announced that salons could resume operations from that day but only outdoor services were permitted.
Erica Kaius, the owner of the salon, said that a stylist informed her of Pelosi’s appointment and she felt "like being slapped in the face."
She added, "I couldn’t work, and other customers couldn’t be served, but she (Speaker Pelosi) seemed to think she could just walk in and get her business done."
Speaker Pelosi explained the incident by saying, "I was told I could receive services at the salon that day," and "The establishment informed me that authorities allowed only one customer at a time."
However, Kaius countered that the hair drying service Pelosi received is currently prohibited under the official prevention guidelines for salons.
She criticized Pelosi’s visit as a double standard and said, "We are supposed to look up to this person, but it’s just shocking."
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