Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kinney is under fire after being photographed dining indoors, without a mask, at a restaurant in Maryland.
Restaurants in Philadelphia have been ordered closed because of Covid19.
Indoor dining at Philly restaurants is set to resume on September 8, with several restrictions and a 25% capacity limit.
Kinney has staunchly stood by his decision on the restaurant closings in his city. “We need to follow what we are being asked to do by the health department. I beg you to follow the rules,” he said earlier this month.
His constituents harshly criticized the mayor.
“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. I guess all your press briefings and your narrative of unsafe indoor dining don’t apply to you. Thank you for clearing it all up for us tonight,” well known Philadelphia restauranteur Marc Vetri wrote of Kinney on Instagram.
Kinney’s office attempted to draw distinctions between the circumstances in Maryland and Philadelphia in comments released to the public.
“The mayor went to Maryland earlier today to patronize a restaurant owned by a friend of his. For what it’s worth, he also went to Rouge to enjoy outdoor dining in Philly on the way home. He looks forward to expanding indoor dining locally next week,” a statement read.
“Of course we understand the frustrations of local restaurant owners who have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. But there are 782 total cases in the county the mayor briefly visited, compared to over 33,000 cases in Philadelphia. Drastically different circumstances.”
The backlash was so large however that Kinney was ultimately forced to apologize publicly.
Restaurant owners are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. I’m sorry if my decision hurt those who’ve worked to keep their businesses going under difficult circumstances. Looking forward to reopening indoor dining soon and visiting my favorite spots. https://t.co/Ki3lIZV8i4
— Jim #MaskUpPHL Kenney (@PhillyMayor) August 31, 2020