Mayor Traveled for Holiday as He Told Residents Not To

Denver mayor is in Mississippi to see his wife and daughter
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 26, 2020 1:17 AM CST
Mayor Who Told Residents Not to Travel for Holiday... Is Traveling
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock makes a point during a news conference about the rapid increase in coronavirus cases in the state Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, in Denver.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The mayor of Denver, Colorado, was one of many officials urging residents of his city not to travel for Thanksgiving—but it turns out he himself is, yes, you guessed it, traveling for Thanksgiving. "My wife and my daughter have been in Mississippi, where my daughter recently took a job," Michael Hancock posted in a series of tweets explaining that, while the family's "traditional multi-household" celebration was in fact canceled, he had still made his own travel plans. "As the holiday approached, I decided it would be safer for me to travel to see them than to have two family members travel back to Denver," he wrote. "I apologize to the residents of Denver who see my decision as conflicting with the guidance to stay at home for all but essential travel."

KUSA reports Hancock flew to Mississippi Wednesday, and that just half an hour before his flight, his account tweeted a message about avoiding travel for the holiday weekend to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He also recently emailed city staff noting that anyone who travels outside the state will need to quarantine for two weeks upon their return, and that if they can't work from home, they will need to use paid time off to do so. The president of Denver's city council says in a statement that she expects the mayor to comply with his own directive and quarantine upon his return. Fox 31 reports that hundreds of people responded with frustration to Hancock's tweets, and the Denver Post is among the outlets pointing to Hancock's "hypocrisy" and speaking to health experts who decried his decision. (More coronavirus stories.)

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