Northam Asks Residents To Wear Masks, Then Mingles in Beach Crowd Without a Mask
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam really wants you to wear a mask while out in public.
The Democratic governor is so fond of facial coverings and their potential to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that he is even talking about making masks mandatory for all of Virginia’s 8.5 million residents.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Northam is prepared to make a determination about mandating face coverings in public on Tuesday.
“Face coverings are an important part of the next steps. We’ll have more on that next week,” Northam said Friday.
The Times-Dispatch noted that the governor hadn’t ironed out the framework yet for further extending his power over the lives of his citizens, but he was working on it.
“We’re trying to work through some of the details,” Northam said.
“It’s an equity issue. We want to make sure everyone has access to a mask, and we also want to talk about how we enforce that,” he added.
Northam must have been among those without access to a mask, as he was photographed numerous times a day later in Virginia Beach with his face on full display.
Virginia Gov Northam on the Virginia Beach boardwalk; no mask, no social distancing ? pic.twitter.com/TURhdUD0zl
— A (@johnwelIs) May 23, 2020
The man who has forced the prolonged closure of “nonessential” commerce in his state was roundly criticized once the images made their rounds on social media, and rightfully so.
Here’s Gov. Ralph Northam social distancing with a mask on at the beach today… you know… like he tells everyone else to do. pic.twitter.com/8IUEGYH0GI
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) May 23, 2020
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a medical doctor, today in Virginia Beach. Care to report on it ? pic.twitter.com/oA7DP9CTLH
— Mark Dunn (@MarkDunnGuitar) May 23, 2020
But Northam’s office has a perfectly valid excuse for what very clearly looks like hypocritical behavior from an elected official.
Per Northam’s representatives, the governor apparently didn’t intend to encounter other people in such close proximity when he decided to visit a beach on Memorial Day weekend.
“The Governor has repeatedly encouraged wearing face coverings inside or when social distancing is impossible. He was outside today and not expecting to be within six feet of anyone,” his office said in a statement to WWBT.
While people in Virginia are permitted by Northam’s lockdown to go outdoors, the strict guidelines ask people to keep six feet apart from one another.
Also, there is the inconvenient fact that just a day prior, the pro-infanticide Democrat had discussed mandating masks for people who travel outside of their homes.
It sends a mixed message from a man who is also a doctor.
Does Northam really believe that masks can stop the spread of the virus?
Can his citizens trust his judgment on the issue?
How can a man who touts the efficacy and necessity of face coverings so carelessly show up at a beach a day later and enjoy the same sunshine and fresh air that he wishes to prevent other people from enjoying?
It’s certainly not a good look for the Democrat.
Either Northam does not believe his own rhetoric on masks slowing the spread of the coronavirus, or he is a hypocrite and didn’t want to wear one.
In either event, the photos are a bad look for a governor already accused of being heavy-handed with his response to the coronavirus.
No leader should ever ask another person to undertake something which he himself would be unwilling to do.
Northam has been consistent with urging Virginians to cover their faces, but he didn’t see the need to heed his own advice when he visited a crowded beach.
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