Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot has defended herself from allegations of hypocrisy after she announced strict Covid-19 lockdown orders just days after celebrating in the street with a massive crowd of Joe Biden supporters.
Chicago residents will soon be living under strict city ordinances meant to combat the spread of Covid-19 that include canceling “traditional Thanksgiving plans,” only leaving your home for essential purposes, and limiting gatherings to 10 people.
The orders come into effect on Monday and will remain in place for a minimum of 30 days. After announcing the partial lockdown amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, Lightfoot was quickly slammed on social media, as days before she had been pictured celebrating Joe Biden’s presumed presidential victory with a massive crowd of supporters. At one point she even spoke to the crowd through a bullhorn with her mask pulled down.
The mayor pressed back against accusations of hypocrisy by saying everyone was wearing a mask in the crowd and it was a time when people “needed relief.”
“Yes, there are times when we actually do need to have relief and come together and I felt like that was one of those times,” she told MSNBC on Friday. “That crowd was gathered whether I was there or not.”
Lightfoot may not see a problem with that mass gathering, but she did make it clear that she believes part of the reason behind a spike in cases in the city (they’ve set multiple daily records in the last week) is “private gatherings” such as weddings and funerals, which she calls “one of the biggest challenges.”
Lightfoot’s defense of her own actions has not quelled objections to her strict orders, and many lockdown critics have taken to social media to slam the mayor.
“Government is now telling us how many people we can have in our homes for dinner,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tweeted, adding: “But will let you protest if you support their liberal agenda.”
“I love the excuse that people need some relief, and apparently she gets to decide which violations are justified,”said writer AG Hamilton.
Lightfoot also promised on Friday that the new stay-at-home orders in Chicago will include “stepped-up enforcement.”
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