After ordering a lockdown for her city, Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday defended her attendance at a mass celebration for President-elect Joe Biden, saying people “need to have relief.”
“There are times when we actually do need to have relief and come together, and I felt like that was one of those times,” Lightfoot told “MSNBC Live,” noting in a video that people were wearing masks at the event.
“That crowd was gathered whether I was there or not. But this has been a super hard year on everyone,” Lightfoot continued. “Everyone feels traumatized. They feel threatened for their safety. And they don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring.” (RELATED: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Issues New Stay-At-Home Advisory Amid Virus Surge)
Lightfoot announced Thursday that Chicago residents should “cancel traditional Thanksgiving plans” in the interests of social distancing and public safety as the coronavirus continues to surge in her city and across the U.S.
“With this new surge in cases, we have just got to step up and do the right thing. And I think people understand that. We know a lot more … than what we knew back in the spring. We’ve got a lot more data. We understand better on how this virus spreads,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot stated that right now “the biggest risk that we’re seeing in our city is in these private spaces and gatherings” such as a Thanksgiving dinner gathering. (RELATED: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Dresses Up As ‘Rona Destroyer’ To Announce Halloween Guidelines)
Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot speaks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 88th Winter Meeting in Washington, U.S., Jan. 23, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
“So we want to support our economy as best we can, but we’ve got to do the things we know are necessary to save lives,” she said.
In August, the mayor condemned protesters that went to her home and other citizens who preferred to go the beach.
In October, she announced a 10 p.m. curfew on non-essential businesses in her city.
Lightfoot also defended her decision to get a haircut in April during a surge of COVID-19 cases after she urged citizens to stay home.