Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday voiced concerns that people are not following mitigations meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, citing the case of Naperville's mayor, who revealed he recently traveled to Florida for his daughter's wedding.
At his daily coronavirus briefing, Pritzker stopped short of identifying Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico by name, but said "I even saw a story about a mayor here in Illinois who flew to Florida for a wedding, didn’t wear a mask, and the wedding had more than 50 people."
In a photo that was circulated widely on social media, Chirico can be seen standing in a group at his daughter’s wedding, which took place in Naples, Florida.
None of the individuals in the photo were wearing masks.
In a statement, Chirico said he and his family were tested for coronavirus prior to leaving for their trip to Florida, and all tested negative.
“It was an outdoor wedding and reception with a total of 53 guests,” Chirico said. “Upon my return to Naperville, I will be quarantining and testing again.”
The images of the mayor stirred up anger on social media amid the ongoing surge of coronavirus cases in numerous parts of the country, including Florida and Illinois.
Local
On Sunday, Kristin Chirico, a former Buzzfeed personality and current influencer who identified herself as the mayor's niece, tweeted her uncle was "not sorry" and "should be held accountable" for attending the gathering.
"You belong in this community, too," she stated in the tweet, which was addressed to community organizers in Naperville. "Your safety matters. YOU matter. I'm rooting for you."
