Jim Kenney (D-Pa.), the mayor of Philadelphia, has apologized after a photo was taken of him defying his own coronavirus restrictions to dine indoors, as reported by Fox News.
The photo of Kenney was taken at a restaurant in nearby Maryland, thus implying that Kenney left his own state just to eat somewhere where he would be allowed indoors, sparking massive backlash.
In a Tweet, Kenney apologized for the incident, noting that “some are upset that I dined indoors at a restaurant in Maryland yesterday. I felt the risk was low because the county I visited has had fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases, compared to over 33,000 in Philadelphia. Regardless, I understand the frustration.”
Among the rules implemented by Kenney is a citywide ban on indoor dining, which is set to be lifted next week on September 8th. The photo of Kenney was shared on social media by a Philadelphia restaurant owner named Marc Vetri, who remarked “Glad you’re enjoying indoor dining with no social distancing or mask-wearing in Maryland tonight, while restaurants here in Philly close, suffer, and fight for every nickel just to survive.”
The incident with Kenney is far from the only example of hypocrisy by Pennsylvania leaders regarding adherence to strict rules ostensibly meant to deal with the coronavirus. The state’s Health Secretary, Richard Levine, was revealed to have struck a secret deal to allow a major car show to take place in Harrisburg with over 20,000 people in attendance. He also took extra steps to move his own mother out of her nursing home and into a private facility, immediately after implementing a statewide rule forcing nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients.