Official Tells Citizens To Stay Home, Says She Will Travel for Christmas in Same News Conference
A North Carolina county official who told citizens to stay home for the holidays announced during the same news conference that she plans to travel to spend Christmas with people from outside her own household.
“For this holiday season, we ask that you stay home and only be around those who you live with,” Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said during a Monday news conference.
“Our data shows that COVID is still very widespread in our community, and holidays and holiday gatherings are some of the most dangerous places to be. So please, stay home, and stay safe.”
Diorio later said that she intends to drive to Durham, North Carolina, to spend Christmas with two people from outside her household.
County Manager Dena R. Diorio and Public Health Director Gibbie Harris provide an update on COVID-19 in Meck County. https://t.co/yrnHmetfcM
— Mecklenburg County (@MeckCounty) December 21, 2020
“I will be traveling by car to Durham, North Carolina, to see some close family,” Diorio said in response to a reporter’s question about how she would spend the holidays.
“Small group,” she added.
Another reporter questioned Diorio further on this point, asking, “Isn’t that what we are not supposed to be doing?”
“I know who the family is and I know where they spend their time, so I feel comfortable making that trip,” Diorio responded.
“It’s two people in a household. It’s not a group, it’s a very small number of people and I feel very confident about their safety. So if I did not feel comfortable I would not go.”
“So do you recommend that for everyone?” the reporter asked. “To feel comfortable with what their family members are doing that they don’t live with?”
“I’m making a personal decision based on information that I have,” Diorio said. “That’s the decision that I’ve made, and I think everybody needs to do the same.”
Diorio did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Diorio joins the ranks of officials who have repeatedly urged citizens to stay home and away from their loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic and then refused to do so themselves.
The DCNF has compiled a list of the biggest offenders, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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A version of this article appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation website.
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