Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was spotted dining out at a New York City restaurant two days after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee’s visit Wednesday to the upscale Manhattan eatery Elio’s drew attention from photo-snapping bystanders. It came shortly after she was in the news over her positive test for COVID-19, which had forced the postponement of a trial in which she is suing The New York Times.
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines call for people to isolate themselves for at least five days after the onset of symptoms or a positive test.
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Palin had also dined at the same restaurant on Saturday, despite a city rule requiring patrons dining indoors at restaurants to be vaccinated.
Palin, 57, has publicly said she won’t get the shot. At a December rally in Phoenix, Palin told the crowd that she would get a COVID vaccine "over my dead body."
Elio’s, which is known for a celebrity clientele, said earlier this week that it had erred in not checking Palin’s vaccination status during her first visit.
"It's important for people to follow that. That means people who are dining, as well as the restaurateurs themselves taking the action to check vaccine status," said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi. "If you test positive, you should be isolating and that's so you do not infect other people."
Elio's said it is contacting staff who may been exposed over the weekend.
The restaurant said in a statement that Palin returned Wednesday evening “to apologize for the fracas around her previous visit.” For her second visit, first reported by the web site Mediaite, Palin dined in a heated outdoor shelter, where vaccination isn’t required.
Messages were sent Thursday via Palin’s website, to her lawyers and to a spokesperson who has worked with her.
Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, tweeted Thursday that if Palin “actually ‘loved New York City’ as she claims, she would stay home and isolate.”
City Council member Keith Powers represents Manhattan's East Side, and he called Palin's decisions "reckless and irresponsible ... coming to restaurants in my district and deciding while positive to go out and dine, which puts all the restaurant workers in jeopardy, and put the other patrons in jeopardy."
Palin’s libel suit against The Times, over the wording of an editorial about gun violence, is now set to begin Feb. 3.
