Published 18:25 IST, April 8th 2020
US: Illinois mayor ‘embarrassed’ after wife found violating ‘stay at home’ order
While a mayor in the US state of Illinois ordered the resident to follow the state’s orders to stay home, less than 48 hours later his wife was found at a bar.
- World News
- 3 min read
While a mayor in the US state of Illinois ordered the resident to maintain social distancing and follow state’s orders to stay home, less than 48 hours later his wife was reportedly found at a bar. Brant Walker, Mayor of Alton, in a news briefing, ‘begged’ people to stay home, however, when the police broke up a gathering at Hiram’s Tavern in downtown Alton, Walker’s wife was among those in attendance. Mayor Walker, later announced that police had investigated and stopped a social gathering in violation of Illinois’s statewide order around 1am on April 5 after which he was informed that his wife was there too.
Walker in a reported statement said that he instructed the Police Chief to treat her as he would any citizen violating the ‘Stay at home’ order and to ensure that she received no special treatment. Walker also said that his wife is an adult who is capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance, she exhibited a ‘stunning lack of judgement’. Furthermore, he said that she will now face consequences for her ‘ill-advised’ decision as any other individual who chose to violate that order during this incident, further adding, that he is ‘embarrassed’ by it.
As per reports, Illinois’ stay at home order prohibits all public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household or living unit. Alton police reportedly confirmed that the officers have issued a criminal complaint about reckless conduct to all who were present at the gathering on Sunday. The attendees will be facing a class A misdemeanour charge punishable by up to 364 days in jail and/or a fine of $2,500.
Coronavirus outbreak
Meanwhile, coronavirus cases continue to spread across Illinois. As per reports, currently, the state has more than 13,500 confirmed cases and that deadly virus has claimed nearly 380 lives. The United States has also seen an overall spike in the number of casualties as coronavirus has claimed more than 12,000 lives in the country. The US alone has more than 400,000 confirmed cases.
Coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 83,000 lives worldwide as of April 8. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 209 countries and territories and has infected more than one million people. Out of the total infections, more than 309,000 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries including Spain, and the economy is struggling.
(Image source: total_gossips/Twitter)
Updated 18:16 IST, April 8th 2020