Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, issued lockdown orders to the state’s residents and posted a tweet on December 7. She told everyone to stay home and if they do go out, to wear a mask. She relayed the usual kind of we’re-all-in-this-together rhetoric in the post.
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
It’s pretty standard wording for a government official trying to slow the outbreak of the coronavirus. But, then just four days later, Raimondo was captured in a photo doing the opposite of what she was demanding of Rhode Island residents. She was out at a wine bar with her husband and to add to her hypocrisy, she was not wearing a mask. Are wine bars – even ones like she patronized that offer painting and wine drinking – considered essential businesses? What about the regular bars, the ones who don’t offer a painting activity, that are under lockdown orders? The photo was taken by her server.
Despite ordering the shut-down of “bar areas” and imposing harsh “social distancing” edicts, despite her government saying, “Restaurants may NOT operate any recreation or entertainment activities and must prevent access to any such areas on site,” not only did someone in the room capture photos of Raimondo Rex, her excited SERVER posted a photo of the Gov and Hubby, accidentally confirming the hypocrisy.
The State’s guidelines call for a ‘pause,’ on freedom, and specifically say that restaurants can’t offer ‘recreation or entertainment activities.’Restaurants may NOT operate any recreation or entertainment activities and must prevent access to any such areas on site.’ Bar areas are also supposed to be closed in restaurants as part of these rules.
MRC TV video player
Here’s the kicker – she went out with her husband to the wine bar after learning that a top aide had tested positive for COVID-19. Department of Administration Director Brett Smiley also has tested positive and is self-quarantining. It sure looks like the governor should have been quarantined at home herself.
But despite the fact that she was aware that her health director has COVID, her guidelines tell people only to go out for essential services, her mandates require no entertainment activities, bar areas have to be closed, businesses are shut down, and you must socially distance yourself from non-family members, Gina went out on Friday night with her husband to a bar called Barnaby’s in Providence and was seen sitting at the bar, drinking wine without a mask on as part of a ‘paint and wine’ event.
Look, we can all relate to the desire to have a glass of wine and unwind after another crappy day during the pandemic. She was unwinding with her husband. But, she should have done so at home like everyone else is doing. Elected officials have to lead by example, especially as they demand that ordinary citizens alter their lives so dramatically. She was clearly not demonstrating that we are all in this together, right? She, as others have, shows that she is above the rules that the little people are expected to follow. It’s arrogant and obnoxious behavior.
It isn’t the first time that Raimondo ignored public safety guidance during the pandemic. She has at least a couple of examples of not following the rules on the record.
And Turtleboy was kind enough to remind readers of just how much Governor Gina loves Black Lives Matter. She loves BLM so much, she (SHOCK!) defied her own social-distancing, masking, and gathering edicts to march with BLM advocates during the summer.
And she also got caught without her mask in August, at a quaint shop on Block Island, a popular RI tourist destination for those who USED to travel freely, before they worried about being caught and hassled by Gina’s police-state.
The governor is in quarantine now, better late than never, I suppose.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out and offered well-wishes. I tested negative again today. I am fortunate to be feeling great and will continue working from home during my self-quarantine.
— Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) December 13, 2020
Some have pointed out that she’s lost all credibility on the coronavirus lockdowns now.
I honestly can’t believe this. I’m blown away. She should have been in self quarantine on Fri night. Some of us do follow the rules & making sacrifices by not going out but, I guess paint & wine is important for some. Like folks are going to listen to her moving fwd. I think not.
— Ana Barboza-Motta (@AnaBarboza617) December 14, 2020
It sure looks like she’s in a vehicle here, too, posted just yesterday.
Working from home in quarantine on Monday
Lol pic.twitter.com/AKoX7mUShJ— ilana calderon (@ilana_calderon) December 15, 2020
Yikes.
