On Saturday night, Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., appeared in numerous photos violating her own mask order. In true masks-for-thee-but-not-for-me fashion, the Democratic politician attended an indoor wedding reception but spent at least some of the time without a facemask despite reinstating D.C.’s mask mandate. Issued Thursday, July 29, the mandate took effect Saturday at 5 AM and requires all persons to “wear masks indoors.”
Bowser was not the only maskless guest. As reported by the Washington Examiner, hundreds of people attended the reception, many of whom went maskless. When approached by reporters, her security team came to her rescue, blocking further inquiries.
Bowser was already in hot water over masks due to her birthday celebration just a day prior. On Friday night, Bowser drew criticism for appearing maskless in social media posts with celebrity comedian Dave Chapelle and other party guests. The timing led many to speculate she’d delayed the mandate’s reinstatement for Saturday morning to facilitate her own birthday party.
This isn’t the first time Bowser has come under fire for COVID-19 hypocrisy. Last November, she attended President Biden’s victory speech in Delaware despite its status as a “high risk” state for COVID-19 as per Mayor’s Order 2020-081. Her staff justified the trip by claiming it was “essential travel.”
So far, neither Bowser nor her office has addressed the controversy surrounding the Saturday-night wedding reception and her Friday-night birthday bash. Bowser’s Twitter account has, however, been active making posts encouraging people to wear masks and follow the mandate.
