NEW YORK — After COVID-stricken Sarah Palin was spotted dining at two Manhattan restaurants and walking maskless on city streets, Mayor Adams’ office issued a warning to New Yorkers who cross her infected path.
“We encourage any New Yorker who came into contact with Sarah Palin to get tested, just as we encourage all New Yorkers to get tested regularly, especially those who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19,” said Adams spokesman Jonah Allon.
Palin, the former Alaska governor and avowed anti-vaxxer, was spotted Wednesday night at Elio’s, an Upper East Side Italian eatery, just days after it was revealed she tested positive for COVID-19, according to Gothamist.
The Republican former vice presidential candidate was seated outdoors, unlike her visit there on Saturday, before her diagnosis, when she dined inside without showing any city-mandated proof of vaccination required to eat indoors.
Palin, who has contracted COVID before, is famously unvaccinated, and has vowed that any vaccine against the disease would be given her “over my dead body.”
Elio’s manager Luca Guaitolini said workers were trying to put the visit behind them.
“It’s unfortuante but we’ve moved on,” Guaitolini said. “We’ve been answering all the questions since Wednesday.”
City inspectors did not observe Palin’s visit — which means it won’t impose the $1,000 fine Elio’s could have faced by letting her dine indoors.
Even so, the mayor’s office had strong words for Palin.
“By repeatedly flouting CDC guidelines, Ms. Palin has shown a complete disregard for the health and safety of small business workers and her fellow patrons,” Allon said.
“The city offers multiple resources to support isolation for those who test positive for COVID-19, and we encourage Ms. Palin to join the 98 percent of New Yorkers who report they have followed guidance on isolation and have helped New York City stop the spread.”
A Palin representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Palin’s Italian food fest also included a Tuesday night stop at Campignola, a few blocks away, where she also ate outdoors. At both places, she was spotted coming or going without a mask, and left one of the restaurants in the back of an SUV where she sat in close quarters with other passengers.
Palin tested positive for COVID on Monday. She was required to take a test because she planned to remove her mask to give evidence at a trial for a defamation lawsuit she had launched against The New York Times.
The trial has been delayed until February 3.
At Campignola, where the specials included Pappardelle Casalinga, Tony, a regular, had a hard time digesting Palin’s apparent indifference.
“It’s disgusting,” Tony said. “We all have to abide by the rules. Why doesn’t she?”
