Newly released pictures seem to contradict the explanation given by Governor Gavin Newsom during his apology for attending a friend's birthday party in Napa County at the French Laundry restaurant. During a public apology on Monday, Newsom said that he and others at the party followed followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions. However, the pictures obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles and posted on Twitter by reporter Bill Melugin show just the opposite. People seated at the Governor's table can be seen indoors, they are sitting close together, and no masks appear to be in use.
Newsom said during his apology that he expects better of himself and that the people of California have to right to do same. He insisted he won't repeat the mistake ever again.
During the same news briefing, he announced that 41 counties are now in the State's most restrictive COVID-19 color coded tier. That means indoor services provided by businesses will be severely restricted or not allowed at all in those counties for at least two weeks.
The Governor isn't the only one to be take heat for attending the party. Two members of the the California Medical Association were also among the more than a dozen people there. A spokesperson for the organization says chief executive officer Dustin Corcoran and senior vice president Janus Norman joined Newsom. The California Medical Association represents 50,000 doctors in California and has been supportive of the guidelines the Governor and public health officials have implemented to curb the spread of coronavirus.