'How The Hell Am I Going To Be Able To Drink A Beer With A Mask On?': Gov. DeSantis Spotted Maskless At Super Bowl
TAMPA (CBSMiami/CNN) - Governor Ron DeSantis has an explanation, of sorts, after being photographed not wearing a mask while watching Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium.
In a photo that was circulated widely on Twitter Sunday night, DeSantis is shown in a stadium suite -- mask-less and far closer than six feet away from someone with whom he is speaking. A person with a mask on is visible in the next suite.
Politico's Marc Caputo tweeted that when he ran into DeSantis, the governor brought up the above photo without prompting and said:
"Someone said, 'hey, you were at the Super Bowl without a mask' ... but how the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on? Come on. I had to watch the Bucs win."
However, by taking off his mask, DeSantis disobeyed the Covid-19 rules laid out by the City of Tampa which most notably had a mask mandate for those in the stadium and at any indoor Super Bowl event.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said approximately 200,000 masks were given out ahead of the game and most of the people and businesses followed the rules.
DeSantis didn't say if he had his mask off the entire time, or only to eat and drink. By the way, you can wear a mask while drinking a beer = take it down, take a sip of beer, put it back up. Repeat.
The governor has a past when it comes to wearing a mask and mask mandates.
In September of last year, he issued an executive order banning local governments from enforcing mask mandates. He extended that order in November.
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