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Thursday, May 21, 2020

Bloggytown

Pence and DeSantis pay unmasked visit to Beth's Burger Bar in Orlando

Posted By Dave Plotkin on Thu, May 21, 2020 at 12:43 AM

click to enlarge

Screenshot via CSPAN

Adult man and Vice President of the United States Mike Pence joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a lunch visit to an Orlando Beth's Burger Bar location on Wednesday, following Pence's delivery of personal protective equipment to a nursing home, and ahead of a tourism industry roundtable.

Neither man wore a mask to the restaurant, and the two frequently failed to keep the recommended social distance of six feet from others. TMZ jumped on the story with their signature all-caps excitement.

DeSantis, who frequently urges Floridians to wear a mask in public, entered the Lake Cay Commons restaurant without wearing one, and joined Pence and owner Beth Steele for a conversation without visible precautions such as a plexiglas barrier by the register.

Pence ordered a cheeseburger and paid with cash (filthy, filthy cash ), according to ABC News.

"Load it up," Pence told Steele when she asked what toppings he wanted – perhaps indulging a bit because "Mother" wasn't around.

click to enlarge

Screenshot via CSPAN

Pence, who in March came to Florida to say cruise ship travel is safe, asked for his change to be deposited in the tip jar, before they both filled their own fountain cups. Pence has, of course, made headlines by refusing to wear a mask to the Mayo Clinic, for which he later apologized.

At Beth's, the two men didn't shake hands with other customers, but they also didn't have much room to themselves, with journalists swarming around them in a restaurant operating at 50 percent of capacity, under DeSantis' latest Phase 1 reopening order.

A spokesman for Pence said it was safe, since patrons and staff were given temperature checks in advance and questioned about having any symptoms. Watch the whole visit here and make up your own mind.

Hours later, after a tourism roundtable where leaders discussed reopening Florida's economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, DeSantis became upset with reporters asking about 30-year-old data scientist Rebekah Jones, who says she was fired for refusing to manipulate COVID-19 data on the state's website. Standing outside the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, DeSantis defended the decision to fire Jones.

"She’s not a data scientist. She is somebody that has a degree in journalism communication and geography," DeSantis said. "She should have been dismissed long before that."

Pence awkwardly looked on outside, a skill honed from four years of listening to bat-shit remarks uttered just inches away from his carefully manicured, completely unmasked head.

click to enlarge

Photo via Mike Pence/Facebook

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Tags: Orlando, coronavirus, COVID-19, Orange County Florida, public health, safety, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, masks, PPE, Image

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