DC Mayor Confronted After Caught Breaking Her Own Face Mask Mandate on Same Day It Took Effect

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) was caught breaking her own mask mandate, hours after it went into effect.

The story: Bowser was spotted maskless at an indoor wedding reception Saturday night. The event reportedly came fewer than 24 hours after the mask mandate took effect.

The Washington Examiner published a photo of the D.C. mayor that showed her sitting at a table without a mask.  Many of the other attendees did not wear a face covering, according to the outlet, and Bowser was neither actively drinking nor eating when the photo was taken.

The event reportedly took place at The Line DC hotel in the district’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. The Washington Examiner reports that Bowser officiated the wedding. She previously celebrated her 49th birthday with comedian Dave Chappelle.

WTOPNews reported that the bride posted photos and videos on Instagram that showed not all guests were wearing masks indoors.

Worth noting: A reporter with the Washington Examiner approached Bowser and asked her why she was breaking her own mask mandate but did not get an answer. The outlet reports that “security blockaded the free press.”

The mask mandate in D.C. requires all residents over the age of two to wear a mask or a face covering indoors. The city reinstated the mandate in light of a surge of coronavirus cases and as many cities around the U.S. reintroduced some restrictions in hopes of preventing the spread. The D.C. mask mandate went into effect at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, before the wedding reception.

Bowser’s response: The mayor’s office pushed back against the reporting, saying that any photos take on Bowser without a mask were during dinner.

‘If Mayor Bowser was photographed indoors without a mask, it was during the indoor dinner, when she was eating or drinking,’ Bowser’s office said in a statement to WTOPNews. “The Mayor wore a mask indoors in compliance with the mandate, and the organizers and venue staff worked to create a safe environment for the staff and guests.”