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AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File
- San Francisco Mayor London Breed was spotted maskless at an indoor nightclub on Wednesday.
- A citywide mandate from her health department requires everyone wear masks indoors.
- It wasn't the first time Breed has come under fire for violating her own city's own restrictions during the pandemic.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed was spotted mask-less at an indoor nightclub on Wednesday, despite a citywide mandate from her health department requiring everyone wear masks in indoor public spaces, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The Democrat mayor posed for photographs without a face covering and sang along to music at San Francisco's Black Cat nightclub, where many did not wear a mask, the report said.
"I've been very careful, not just because I want to set an example but because I don't want to get COVID. I also want to make sure that I'm not someone transmitting COVID to other people," she told the Chronicle. "This entire pandemic has been focused on keeping people safe."
The Chronicle noted that its reporter did not wear a mask during an interview with the mayor.
"At the end of the day, everyone who comes in here has to show proof of vaccination," she told the Chronicle. "That gives me a lot of reassurance."
In August, health officials in San Francisco and seven other jurisdictions ordered the required use of masks at indoor public venues, regardless of vaccination status.
"Indoor masking is a temporary measure that will help us deal with the Delta variant, which is causing a sharp increase in cases, and we know increases in hospitalizations and deaths will follow," said Dr. Naveena Bobba, San Francisco acting health officer in a statement. "When we all wear face coverings indoors, we are protecting our fellow residents and helping our healthcare workers."
It wasn't the first time Breed has come under fire for indoor violations during the pandemic, either.
Back in November 2020, Breed dined indoors at the French Laundry restaurant while the state's guidelines "strongly discouraged" social gatherings, just three days before she banned indoor dining in San Francisco, the Chronicle reported at the time.
"I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that everyone act responsibly to reduce the spread of the virus," Breed said in a statement on November 10. "Every San Franciscan needs to do their part so that we can start moving in the right direction again."
Breed's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco and neighboring counties were the first to issue a stay-at-home order in March 2020, the Associated Press reported.
Breed isn't the only Democratic politician to face scrutiny for violating health orders.
Last month, Boston's Acting Mayor Kim Janey came under fire for posing maskless at an indoor restaurant on the same day that she implemented an indoor mask mandate, the Boston Herald reported at the time.
In November, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was criticized for attending a birthday party at the same French Laundry restaurant Breed went to, Newsweek reported at the time.
And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last September got her hair styled at an indoor salon, violating the city's health regulations, CNN reported.