When Mayor Muriel Bowser stated this week that she would impose a face mask law in the state’s capital, questions soon arose as to why should it not go into effect immediately if COVID-19 transmission is considered significant enough to necessitate a new face mask mandate? However, Friday night, that inquiry may have received an answer.
If we look at the background, on Thursday, Bowser declared that individuals in the country’s capital must wear face masks indoors, irrespective of their vaccination status. In addition, she highlighted that they would keep protecting the state’s capital, Washington DC. She made no justification for the mandate taking effect two days after her statement. But what may account for the inconsistency?
On Saturday, many images surfaced, apparently showing Bowser celebrating her birthday, which occurs on August 2. According to the pictures, none of the attendees, including the mayor and comedian Dave Chappelle, wore face masks. Furthermore, the DJ who was allegedly in charge of the party uploaded an Instagram photo of the crowd, indicating that no masks were worn. The DJ had penned a caption for the picture but afterward deleted it.
Additionally, Chappelle was also seen with Bowser and Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio in another photo taken during the event. As the face mask guideline by Bowser stated: disregarding the suggestion to wear a mask would endanger your own and others’ lives. Therefore, the refusal to wear a face mask by Bowser jeopardized the health of others, at least according to the COVID-19 face mask recommendations she supplied. Additionally, she also stated that a mask should not be used as a substitute for physical separation. However, as seen by the photos, Bowser disobeyed that order as well.
