One-time Republican Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, was caught twice dining at restaurants in New York City despite testing positive for COVID-19 just two days prior.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who test positive for COVID should self-isolate for five days and wear a mask for an additional five days "even if you don't have symptoms."
Palin, however, ignored the CDC's recommendation and was spotted dining "al fresco" at Campagnola on Tuesday on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
She was also seen dining out on Saturday night at Elio’s, an upscale Italian restaurant.
The manager of the restaurant, Luca Guaitolini, reportedly told the New York Times they "just made a mistake" and that the restaurant only checks the vaccination status of first-time diners.
Palin was allegedly eating with a party that included a longtime guest of Elio's.
The operations manager also claimed Palin “probably strolled over” to a table before being asked to show her proof of vaccination.
Guaitolini said that she “returned to the restaurant to apologize” on Wednesday for eating at the restaurant as an unvaccinated patron, despite testing positive for the virus.
"In accordance with the vaccine mandate and to protect our staff, we seated her outdoors," said Guaitolini in a statement.
"We are a restaurant open to the public, and we treat civilians the same."
NBC News reported the "city said it will not investigate Elio's for the lapse because the agencies that enforce Covid rules only issue violations if an inspector witnesses one."
Palin, who once ran as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee alongside Arizona Senator John McCain, was in the city for her defamation trial against The New York Times.
In 2017, the publication ran an editorial in which they suggested an ad placed by Palin's political action committee incited the 2011 shooting of Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords.
But the Monday trial was delayed due to her testing positive for COVID.
While Palin's vaccination status is dubious, she was quoted as saying she would get a COVID vaccine “over my dead body” last month.
“I will not do that. I won’t do it, and they better not touch my kids either," she said of the five children she had with her ex-husband, Todd Palin.
Her trial has been delayed until February 3.
Presiding U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said of Palin, “She is, of course, unvaccinated."
Palin contracted COVID-19 once before in March 2021, as did her other family members.
"I strongly encourage everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading this and every other virus out there," she said in a statement at the time.
"There are more viruses than there are stars in the sky, meaning we'll never avoid every source of illness or danger ... But please be vigilant, don't be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it."
It appears her common sense to "avoid spreading" the virus must have slipped her mind during her fancy night out in the Big Apple.
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