A US lawmaker who represents northern Virginia suburbs is criticising Vice President Mike Pence for meeting with dozens of Trump campaign staff packed into an Arlington office without social distancing or masks.
Pence tweeted a photo of the gathering on Wednesday but subsequently deleted it. In the tweet, Pence said he wanted to thank the staff members for their hard work and to keep it up. But it was the photo that raised concerns.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer says the fact that Pence deleted the tweet “shows that he knows the behaviour was wrong.” Beyer said the vice president and the Trump campaign "are setting the worst possible example” He said the kind of gathering in the picture was “reminiscent of 'super spreader' events earlier in the pandemic” and could put people at risk.
The Trump-Pence campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under an executive order issued by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, patrons in indoor places shared by groups near each other must wear face coverings. However, the order does not apply to employees, employers and independent contractors in the workplace unless they are working in customer facing areas.