Dedicating this thread to all those brave politicians and media personalities who told us we needed to lock down and sacrifice for our safety, and then turned around and didn't follow their rules - because they felt they didn't have to. ------------- ONE PIERS MORGAN DID NOT FOLLOW THE GOVERNMENT’S TIER 3 COVID ADVICE WHEN HE WENT ON CHRISTMAS CARIBBEAN HOLIDAY The Government’s official guidance is that all people in Tier 3 should avoid travelling outside their tier – both to other English tiers and abroad – except for essential reasons such as work. The Government emphasised to hopeful holiday-makers they should “carefully consider whether they must travel abroad”. The Government explicitly said if those leaving the country “must” travel abroad they should follow FCDO travel advice. The Department for Health explained: “Government guidance is that people should not be going on foreign holidays if they live in Tier 3…” On the 18th December, the Foreign Office told travellers entry to the islands of Antigua and Barbuda “is restricted”. Guido understands that nevertheless before Christmas Day, though just after he urged Cabinet ministers on his show to introduce tougher measures to lockdown Christmas (December 16th), he flew out to Antigua in the Caribbean just ahead of the Tier 4 restrictions being imposed. The hypocrisy of urging tougher “stay at home” restrictions over Christmas before heading for the First Class lounge at Heathrow is beyond brazen. According to a source Piers stayed at the exclusive luxurious Jumby Island resort, on the private island accessible only by boat from Antigua, which is 2 miles to the South. Guido has asked Piers to confirm he was in Antigua, his only response is a guilty silence, which is uncharacteristic. He also exercised a self-imposed no tweeting, no Instagramming black out over Christmas. Whilst so many of his viewers stayed at home as the government asked, Piers didn’t follow the advice.
TWO Alberta cabinet minister, premier's chief of staff resign over holiday travel, other MLAs demoted Michelle Bellefontaine · CBC News · Posted: Jan 04, 2021 2:01 PM MT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has been under fire over travel by his MLAs and top officials over the holidays. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has accepted the resignations of Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard as minister of municipal affairs and of Jamie Huckabay, his chief of staff. They join a growing number of politicians across Canada who have admitted to travelling outside the country despite pandemic restrictions, leading to resignations in some cases. They include former Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips, a Progressive Conservative; Liberal MP Kamal Khera; and New Democrat MP Niki Ashton. In a Facebook post on Monday, Kenney said he has also demoted five other United Conservative Party MLAs who travelled internationally over the holidays. Calgary-Klein MLA Jeremy Nixon has been stripped from his position as parliamentary secretary for civil society, while Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan has been removed from Treasury Board. Three MLAs — Calgary-Peigan's Tanya Fir, Tany Yao of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo and Lesser Slave Lake's Pat Rehn — have been removed from the legislature committees they sat on. Transportation Minister Ric McIver will take over municipal affairs until a new minister is appointed, Kenney said. Larry Kaumeyer, the current principal secretary, will serve as interim chief of staff. "Millions of Albertans have made real sacrifices over the past 10 months to help keep each other safe. They are right to be angry about people in positions of leadership vacationing outside of the country," Kenney wrote. "By travelling abroad over the holidays, these individuals demonstrated extremely poor judgment." Kenney's announcement comes after days of intense criticism by Albertans over the holiday trips. Social media has been dominated by calls for Kenney and Allard to resign, while MLAs have been bombarded with emails and phone calls from angry constituents. CBC News first confirmed on Dec. 31 that Allard had been in Hawaii over the holidays. The next day, Kenney held a news conference, during which he told Albertans he was at fault for not telling MLAs they shouldn't travel — even though public health officials have advised against non-essential international trips for months. A few hours later, Allard held a news conference and apologized for taking the trip. But in a statement that likely sealed her fate, she explained that the Christmas trip to Hawaii was an annual tradition for her family. That prompted more outrage from Albertans, who began listing the traditions, travel and gatherings they eschewed this year due to COVID-19. Huckabay, who visited the U.K. over the holidays, was asked to resign, according to the statement released by the premier. Through the weekend, the travel of more MLAs was revealed: Fir was in Las Vegas; Nixon had been in Hawaii; Rehn and Yao visited Mexico. Stephan left for Arizona on Dec. 31, the day news of Allard's trip became public.
THREE - Swedish official urges Swedes to avoid travel, then goes on travel for Christmas. Covid: Sweden official defends Christmas trip to Canary Islands A top Swedish official involved in the coronavirus response has defended a Christmas holiday in the Canary Islands in the face of heavy criticism. Dan Eliasson is head of the civil contingencies agency, which earlier in December had texted all Swedes urging them to avoid travel. He was photographed in Las Palmas airport on the island of Gran Canaria. Mr Eliasson insisted the trip was necessary "for family reasons". He told Swedish media that he had "given up a lot of trips during this pandemic" but thought this one was necessary because he had a daughter living in the Canaries. "I celebrated Christmas with her and my family," he told Expressen newspaper. He also said he had been worked remotely while in the Canaries. Sweden's king says coronavirus policy 'failed' Did Sweden's coronavirus strategy succeed or fail? Sweden has had 437,000 confirmed cases and 8,700 deaths - many more than its Scandinavian neighbours. The country has never imposed a full lockdown. However, alarmed by rising numbers of cases last month, the Swedish government reversed some of its guidance and sent a text message to all Swedes asking them to read updated guidelines. The guidelines included asking Swedes to avoid unnecessary trips and not to make new contacts during a journey or at the destination. Mr Eliasson was then photographed several times in Gran Canaria, including at the airport. There have been calls for Mr Eliasson, an experienced official who has worked at several important departments, to be fired. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and other ministers have not yet commented, according to Swedish media.
FOUR Four Quebec Liberal MPs travelled outside the country during pandemic, violating public health recommendations Adam KovacCTV News Montreal Digital Reporter @AKovacCTV Contact Published Sunday, January 3, 2021 6:08PM ESTLast Updated Monday, January 4, 2021 2:21PM EST Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand loses shadow cabinet functions Growing list of Canadian politicians caught travelling abroad despite pandemic “I recognize that travel during this period, when so many are limiting interactions with loved ones, was an error in judgement. I apologize to my constituents for the disappointment I may have caused,” he wrote. “As a result, I will be stepping down from my committee roles.” Zuberi sat on a subcommittee for international human rights, foreign affairs and international development, a standing committee on justice and human rights and a standing joint committee for scrutiny of regulations. In the tweet, Zuberi said he respected local public health guidelines while he and his family were in Delaware, advised the Chief Government Whip of his travel and has been adhering to a 14-day quarantine since returning on Dec. 31. “I commit to redoubling my efforts to lead by example, and continue working hard for the residents of Pierrefonds-Dollard,” he wrote. Public health officials and the Government of Canada have recommended against any unnecessary international travel during the pandemic. Lattanzio, who was elected in the St-Leonard-St-Michel riding, also admitted to travelling outside Canada's borders during the pandemic, saying she took an "essential and necessary" trip to Ireland in September. "One of my daughters has moved to Ireland to attend school and I went to help her move abroad," she said on Twitter. "I have respected all health requirements in effect in all jurisdictions. Upon my return to Canada, I quarantined for fourteen days." Brossard-St-Lambert MP Mendes also posted to social media, saying she had travelled with her husband to Portugal in July to attend to issues arising from the death of her husband's mother in May. "In addition to mourning her from far away, we had to ensure that some legal elements of her estate were dealt with within 90 days of her death," Mendes wrote on Twitter. "As the months were passing, it became more and more pressing to finalize the succession paperwork... In July, as lockdown measures began to be lifted in Quebec, Canada and Europe, and with some airlines re-establishing flights, my husband and I decided to go to Portugal." Mendes said she, too, advised the Whip and the Speaker's office of her travel and quarantined for 14 days upon re-entering Canada. In her statement, Bessette, who represents the Brome-Missisquoi riding, said her trip during the summer was made on behalf of her ailing parents. "This summer, when restrictions in Quebec were eased, I saw that my father's health still did not allow him to return to Mexico to pick up their belongings," she said. "Having made several unsuccessful attempts to have them brought back and having delayed the insurance as much as possible, I flew to Mexico myself in mid-August to retrieve my parents' vehicle, mobile home and personal belongings." Bessette added that on her way back to Canada, she stopped in Massacheusetts to finalize the sale of her home. "Throughout this essential trip, I complied with all applicable health regulations and wore a mask at all times when required. Upon my return, I completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine as required by the Public Health Agency of Canada. During this period, my team kept up my social media presence by sharing publications of events that had taken place earlier in the summer. "I am aware of the challenge that travel restrictions abroad have presented to Canadians in the past year. I want to reassure all residents of Brome-Missisquoi that I would not have undertaken such travel if it had not been absolutely necessary." The admissions come days after Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand apologized for travelling to Barbados for vacation. Despite criticism from other parties and Liberal leader Dominique Anglade, Arcand said he would not resign from the National Assembly.
FIVE - Teacher's Union Official in Chicago lobbies for schools to remain closed, then goes to the Caribbean. CTU board member facing criticism for vacationing in Caribbean while pushing remote learning WGN INVESTIGATES by: Ben Bradley Posted: Dec 31, 2020 / 06:53 PM CST / Updated: Dec 31, 2020 / 06:54 PM CST CHICAGO – A Chicago Teachers Union leader is facing criticism for vacationing in the Caribbean while at the same time claiming it’s unsafe for teachers to return to the classroom. Sarah Chambers is on the union’s executive board and is an area vice president. As recently as Thursday, she tweeted to rally special education teachers not to return to work in-person Monday because it’s unsafe. Just a few hours earlier, Chambers posted a picture on Instagram that appears to show her pool side in Puerto Rico and talking about going to Old San Juan for seafood. The post also mentions she previously had COVID, got a negative test result and consulted her doctor before traveling. Both Chambers and the Chicago Teachers Union have not responded to WGN’s request for comment. Since we have reached out, Chambers has deleted her Instagram account. The CTU is threatening the possibility of a strike if the district pushes ahead with plans to reopen school buildings.
SIX - Saskatchewan cabinet minister ignores travel advisory to fly to vacation home Saskatchewan cabinet minister in California to sell home, premier aware of trip By Stephanie Taylor The Canadian Press Posted December 30, 2020 4:23 pm Updated December 30, 2020 5:59 pm Joe Hargrave was named Minister of Highways and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Water Security Agency at the announcement of Premier Scott Moe's new cabinet at Government House in Regina on Nov. 9, 2020. The Canadian Press / Michael Bell A Saskatchewan cabinet minister says he is in California over the holidays to finalize the sale of a home. Joe Hargrave, the highways minister and legislature member for Prince Albert Carlton, said in a statement Wednesday that he is in Palm Springs to finish selling personal property and to move things back to Saskatchewan. READ MORE: Premier Scott Moe says he wouldn’t change a thing about coronavirus response He made the decision to travel to “address personal business that I deemed necessary,” he said. His office added that he left Saskatchewan on Dec. 22 and his return date depends on the sale of his property being completed. Hargrave also said he told Premier Scott Moe of his travel plans and will self-isolate for the required two weeks upon his return to Canada. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Moe said in a separate statement that he told Hargrave he expects him to follow required public-health advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I expect that all members of cabinet and caucus follow all public health-orders and guidance,” Moe said. READ MORE: Saskatchewan nurses union calls for public inquiry into Parkside Extendicare COVID-19 outbreak Saskatchewan has advised residents against travelling for non-essential purposes. In the fall, Moe told The Canadian Press that he decided against travelling to Ottawa for a meeting since he was telling people to avoid unnecessary travel. [ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ] Health Minister Paul Merriman, during a briefing about COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday, said it is not his place to comment on Hargrave’s trip. “Everyone has their own judgment of what they feel is … essential travel,” he said. “What I can say is I certainly didn’t travel throughout the Christmas season. I was home with my wife in Saskatoon.”
SEVEN - NY county shuts ice rink for hosting scrimmage, municipal exec goes to ice rink for scrimmage. Democratic New York County Executive Filmed Playing Hockey Two Weeks After Shutting Down Ice Rink For Hosting Scrimmage A New York county executive was filmed shooting hockey pucks at a public skating rink with at least 10 others less than two weeks after his department of health temporarily shut down a separate ice rink for hosting a hockey scrimmage, according to the county’s comptroller. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a Democrat, acknowledged Monday on Twitter that he “skated alone for the most part” at the Northtown Center at Amherst sports facility on Sunday morning. Poloncarz also posted a selfie he took on the ice rink dressed in black and not wearing full hockey equipment “to show me alone” that morning. However, Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw, a Republican, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he obtained and published video footage of Poloncarz sharing the ice and shooting hockey pucks at the sports facility Sunday morning with at least 10 other individuals. At multiple points in the video, an individual wearing all black and not wearing full hockey equipment is seen fist-bumping others on the ice rink. “You see him giving everybody fist bumps and then he hops off the ice. That’s the county executive,” Mychajliw said of the individual in the video wearing all black. The individual wearing all black is shown leaving the ice skating rink before the remaining people on the ice engaged in a hockey scrimmage. No other individuals in the video appear to be wearing all black and not wearing full hockey equipment. Poloncarz spokesman Peter Anderson did not return multiple inquiries Tuesday afternoon asking if the county executive disputes that he’s the individual shown fist-bumping others on the ice skating rink in Mychajliw’s video. Mychajliw also published footage he said he obtained from a whistleblower showing Poloncarz leaving the Northtown Center at Amherst sports facility on Sunday morning. Poloncarz was filmed wearing all black and carrying a hockey stick and hockey bag. Poloncarz acknowledged the legitimacy of the footage of him leaving the sports facility in a tweet Monday, saying it was “taken by someone stalking me.” Poloncarz was filmed at the sports facility less than two weeks after the Erie County Health Department temporarily shut down a separate sports facility in Cheektowaga after a Health Department inspector observed children playing a hockey scrimmage at the facility’s ice rink in violation of New York state guidelines. Poloncarz tweeted on Dec. 19 that his health department is monitoring multiple cases of coronavirus “among players and coaches who play out of the” Holiday Twin Rinks complex following the temporary closing of the facility. Two days later, the county executive said there’s been a rise in positive coronavirus cases related to “youth hockey.” “Also received reports of hockey teams scrimmages at local hockey rinks,” Poloncarz said in his tweet listing out areas of concern surrounding youth hockey. Mychajliw railed against Poloncarz for shooting hockey pucks at a public facility less than two weeks after his health department shut down a facility for hosting a hockey scrimmage. “God bless him. It’s the height of hypocrisy to shut down rinks for having scrimmages and blocking children and youth sports from doing the same exact thing that he is doing,” Mychajliw told the DCNF. The Holiday Twin Rinks facility has since reopened after submitting a safety plan to the Erie County Department of Health, Mychajliw said.
NINE - Lots of Canadians. Who woulda known? Quebec lectures citizens about travelling, party member flies to Barbados As pandemic deepens in Quebec, Liberal MNA Arcand spends Christmas in Barbados The party's former interim leader said he regretted travelling, "given the current situation in Quebec and the respect we owe to health workers." Despite repeated requests from governments not to travel during the pandemic, Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand is currently in the West Indies with his wife. In a statement obtained by Presse Canadienne, Arcand confirmed he was in Barbados, “one of the safest places in the world right now.” The former interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party admitted he “regretted the decision given the current situation in Quebec and the respect we owe to health workers.” He said he underwent tests on Dec. 22 and 27 and both were negative. Arcand added that he “will scrupulously respect the 14 days of confinement upon (the couple’s) return.” According to Radio-Canada, which first reported the news, the MP was seen by a witness in the Glitter Bay area. The federal and provincial governments have strongly discouraged Quebecers from travelling given the difficult health situation in the country. A few days ago, Premier François Legault joined the three opposition leaders in a press conference to encourage Quebecers to respect the public health rules. Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade was present and urged Quebecers not to be overwhelmed by the fatigue of restrictions so that “the virus does not win.”
TEN - CNN host and brother of NY Governor Cuomo hectors nation about masks, flounces around NY high society scene with no mask All of these were put together by @ElonBachman at Twitter. Credit where credit is due. Chris Cuomo is 'seen at NYC private members club not wearing a mask' and 'walking around like the mayor' after being accused of hypocrisy and threatened with $500 fine by his apartment for flouting COVID rules The CNN host was reportedly seen with Brooke Shields' husband at an unnamed private members club in downtown New York Cuomo was 'walking around shaking hands and greeting people without a mask' Earlier in the summer, he received a letter from the management in his apartment building threatening him with a a $500 fine They claimed he had been seen multiple times not wearing a mask in the building Cuomo's brother Andrew is the governor of New York and made it a state law in April that masks in public places are mandatory The CNN host also criticizes Republicans on his show for not taking the virus more seriously