A Los Angeles County supervisor was caught dining outside at a restaurant just hours after voting to ban outdoor dining.
Sheila Kuehl was seen at Il Forno Trattoria in Santa Monica, one of her “favorite” restaurants, last Tuesday, according to Fox 11. Her dining experience took place before the ban went into effect.
“She did dine al fresco at Il Forno on the very last day it was permissible,” a spokesperson for Kuehl said in a statement. “She loves Il Forno, has been saddened to see it, like so many restaurants, suffer from a decline in revenue. She ate there, taking appropriate precautions, and sadly will not dine there again until our Public Health Orders permit.”
During last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Kuehl referred to the outdoor dining as “a most dangerous situation,” arguing that, “This is a serious health emergency, and we must take it seriously.” The board voted 3-2 to restrict outdoor dining in LA County.
She expressed concern for servers who are waiting on many tables.
“The servers are not protected from us, and they’re not protected from their other tables that they’re serving at that particular time, plus all the hours in which they’re working.”
Days later, the county issued a second stay-at-home order amid their dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases. There were 1,893 people hospitalized with the virus on Friday at the time the stay-at-home order was issued, while there were 747 people hospitalized with it a month earlier, on Oct. 27.
The county Department of Public Health has urged residents to stay home “as much as possible,” and to “always wear a face covering over their nose and mouth” when outside while also increasing restrictions on essential businesses, including reducing the maximum capacity allowed of a store.
In early November, California Gov. Gavin Newsom also broke the state’s coronavirus rules by eating at a restaurant with a group of people who do not live under the same roof. He later said he regretted attending the birthday celebration for 50-year-old Jason Kinney, a longtime friend and adviser, after his office had initially defended his appearance at the event.
