Friday on “MSNBC Live,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) addressed the criticism she has received since ordering a citywide lockdown a week after holding a large celebration over the declaration that former Vice President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The shutdown, which asks the public to cancel their “traditional” Thanksgiving plans, comes after a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
Lightfoot defended her stay-at-home after allowing and attending the large celebration, saying “there are times when we actually do need to have relief,” and the gathering in question “was one of those times.”
“I think that we have been saying all along everybody has to take care, everybody has to take precaution,” Lightfoot explained. “I will tell you in that big crowd a week ago … everybody was wearing masks.”
“You can see the shot here,” she said of the scene of the celebration being shown on MSNBC. “Mask compliance in our city is actually up very, very high. But, 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. That crowd was gathered whether I was there or not. But this has been a super hard year on everyone. Everyone feels traumatized. They feel threatened, their safety. And they don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. And with this new surge in cases, we have just got to step up and do the right thing. And I think people understand that.”
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