Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is under fire after a video circulated of his son partying inside a crowded venue without wearing a face covering or social distancing. His state leads the nation in daily COVID-19 cases per capita.
Jack Ducey, 25, attended a bash where dozens of guests drank and danced without masks, according to footage shared on social media.
The footage was posted to Ducey’s now-private Instagram page on Dec. 30, according to The Arizona Republic.
The governor has implored Arizona residents to wear masks, limit travel and avoid indoor gatherings amid skyrocketing cases and hospitalizations over the holidays. But he stopped short of mandating masks or limiting indoor gatherings, saying it was not the government’s role to regulate what happens in private homes, The Arizona Republic reported.
Jack Ducey told the Republic that he’d made a mistake but added that he and his father work in different professions. He is a talent manager for a music agency, according to his LinkedIn profile.
HuffPost has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
Despite spiking case numbers last month and advice from public health experts, Ducey did not implement a statewide curfew or stay-at-home order, or mandate wearing masks. He instead asked Arizonans to adhere to social-distancing and mask-wearing guidelines, and use common sense for private events based on the rules in place for public events.
“I believe that Arizonans are smart, and given the facts of how they can protect themselves and their loved ones, by and large, they will do that,” he said.
In a tweet Sunday, Accountable Arizona, an organization that recently ran a campaign to recall the governor over his lack of action on COVID-19, argued that the video is evidence that rules should be put in place.
“If @dougducey’s own adult son isn’t following Ducey’s soft advice, how can Ducey expect Arizonans to?” the group tweeted alongside the footage. “We need mitigation measures with enforcement now.”
“This virus is completely out of control because of people acting like this,” the group said in another tweet.
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