Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is being called out on the internet for apparently breaking his own mask mandate orders.
DeWine and his wife Fran unmasked for a photo opportunity inside a Findlay ice cream shop at the end of last week.
Ohio @GovMikeDeWine caught on camera defying his own statewide mask mandate with first lady Fran DeWine at @DietschBrothers in Findlay. (credit: @FindlayCourier) pic.twitter.com/kT2eRnqSGF
— Caleb Parke (@calebparke) May 6, 2021
Currently, Ohio’s COVID-19 mask mandate says that anyone inside a restaurant must be masked until seated, at which point the mask can be removed.
The photo caused a stir, and some bewilderment among internet users.
“Rules for thee but not for me,” one Twitter user replied.
Rules for thee but not for me.
— AdamAlfonso (@AlfonsoAlmond) May 10, 2021
When one person noted that DeWine and his wife were eating ice cream, and thus should be allowed to remove their masks, one Twitter user pointed out the strictness, and perhaps the absurdity, of the actual mask mandate rules.
“Yes but the rule is if you’re inside a restaurant or place that serves food, you must have a mask on unless you’re seated because Covid cannot get you under the 3 foot to 4 foot threshold,” that user said.
Yes but the rule is if you’re inside a restaurant or place that serves food, you must have a mask on unless you’re seated because Covid cannot get you under the 3 foot to 4 foot threshold.
— ZeroFucks Given (@fuckoffsd) May 10, 2021
There is no science to suggest that a person can only contract COVID-19 when standing, but not while sitting.
DeWine is hardly the first political power broker to break his own COVID-19 rules.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who has officially been recalled after a year of pandemic lockdowns, broke his own mask mandate and social distancing rules when he held a dinner with lobbyists at the upscale restaurant The French Laundry in December. At that time, the state was entirely closed for indoor dining.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) of Michigan more recently flaunted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rules adopted by the state, when she took a personal trip to see her father in Florida during the pandemic.
Shortly after her own trip, Whitmer reminded Michiganders that traveling to and from the state was still dangerous as the pandemic winds down in many parts of the country, and advised against it.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Mike DeWine and Fran DeWine” by Caleb Parke.
