Gov. Holcomb apologizes for maskless outing

“I should have gone back out to the car to get my mask,” Holcomb said.

By Adam Wren and design by Kris Davidson

Gov. Eric Holcomb is apologizing after a photo emerged of him Saturday posing with citizens maskless and without practicing social distancing on social media—despite rolling out a reopening plan that requires Hoosiers to wear a mask or face covering in public until mid-June.

On Friday, Holcomb announced his Roadmap to Safely Reopen Indiana plan. On Saturday, he decamped to the governor’s residence in Brown County, where he ventured out to Hobnob Corner Restaurant in Nashville, taking a selfie with two constituents.

“I should have gone back out to the car to get my mask,” Holcomb said in a statement to IMPORTANTVILLE Sunday. “My apologies to all the healthcare professionals and Hoosiers who are working so hard to slow the spread.”

His full statement below.

“I spent the night at the Governor’s residence in Brown County. I ordered take out for dinner and ran in to pick it up, leaving my mask in the car. It was a lapse in my usual vigilance. I should have gone back out to the car to get my mask.  My apologies to all the healthcare professionals and Hoosiers who are working so hard to slow the spread. This is been a timely reminder that even a six second snap of a picture requires following the doctors’ recommendation to wear a mask while in public. Lesson learned.”