Gov. Holcomb says failure to wear mask at restaurant ‘completely my fault’
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Eric Holcomb said it was “completely my fault” when he did not wear a face mask as he picked up dinner for himself and his wife during a weekend outing in Brown County.
In the state’s Monday coronavirus briefing, Holcomb said he posed for photo with a restaurant owner and her daughter when picking up an order from the Nashville business. The governor also had issued an apology in a statement Sunday night.
The governor’s Back on Track plan released Friday recommends that residents wear face coverings in public settings through June 13. After that date, the wearing of face masks is optional, although high-risk populations are recommended to continue wearing masks. Also, the recommendation may change if data shows a resurgence of the coronavirus.
He said he had planned to have had his mask on, get the food and then walk out. When the owner requested the photo with her daughter, the governor said he should have went to the car and gotten his mask.
“No, it’s not … ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ It was a reminder for me, that six-second photo op. I went in to frequent a local dining establishment. I like to make sure that I’m doing my part while they’re weathering this storm, and it was an unforced error, completely my fault.
“I actually looked at a bench down in Brown County, right by that particular restaurant, and it had a quote on the bench that should have been a sign to me that, get my mask out. I take a mask everywhere I go. I had the mask in the car. And the quote on that bench from ‘Abe Martin’: ‘Ther’s too many folks confusin temptation with opportunity.’”
The cartoon “Abe Martin” from 1904 to 1937 often used Hoosier vernacular. Abe Martin was a character in the cartoon of the same name introduced in The Indianapolis News. Indiana cartoonist, humorist and journalist Kin Hubbard created “Abe Martin.” In 1932, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources dedicated Brown County State Park to Hubbard and named the park’s guest accommodations the Abe Martin Lodge.
Holcomb mentioned the weather was beautiful, and he noted he was outside as many Hoosiers were in the warm temperatures. He said Monday he regretted the chance to educate Hoosiers by wearing his mask.
“That would have been the absolute, ideal, perfect opportunity to take that photo properly social distanced with the mask on,” he said.
Despite his situation, Holcomb said, “This should be a reminder not just for me to break old bad habits, this should be reminder for everyone, especially folks who are voluntarily seeking to break the rules or the recommendations. Again, wearing a mask is a recommendation, something that we highly, highly recommend. I’ll be subscribing to it now 100% of the time, not just 99% of the time.”