A Republican member of New York City Council sparked anger on Twitter Thursday when he brazenly boasted that he would ignore coronavirus safety rules to host a large family gathering at Thanksgiving.
Joe Borelli, who represents the COVID-19 hotspot of Staten Island, promised to flout a rule announced Wednesday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that limits gatherings in private homes to 10 people.
“I’ll be having more than 10 ppl at my house on Thanksgiving. My address is public record. Some family will come from (gasp!) New Jersey,” Borelli wrote.
“Kids will see their grandparents, cousins will play in the yard, sis in law will bring strawberry rhubarb pie, & a turkey will be overcooked,” he added.
Borelli’s defiant tweet came as the U.S. hit an all-time high for hospitalizations of people infected with the virus. The virus is raging toward what health officials predict will be a catastrophic phase. Upwards of 240,000 Americans have already died and more than 8 million have been sickened.
Critics called Borelli “highly irresponsible” and a “selfish monster.”
“Honestly, don’t know what to say,” responded MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. “We’re all human beings with people we love that we want to see. But increasingly the entire Republican Party has basically taken the side of the virus and are actively trying to spread it.”
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