‘I am human’: Gretchen Whitmer apologises after photo shows her breaking own lockdown rules

Fully-vaccinated governor admits she ‘pushed tables together’ after photo shared to Facebook

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer (AP)

Michigan’s governor was forced to issue an apology for breaking her own rules on indoor dining after she was pictured at the weekend.

Gretchen Whitmer said she “should have thought about it”, and that she was “human”, in a statement issued on Sunday.

It followed a picture of the Democratic governor with about a dozen people at The Landshark Bar & Grill in East Lansing, Michigan.

According to The Detroit Free Press, it was shared to Facebook by a friend of Ms Whitmer on Saturday but was immediately deleted.

She was pictured sitting at two tables that were forced together, with about a dozen friends — breaking rules for indoor dining and drinking in Michigan.

As of 15 May, Michigan asks restaurants and bars to keep patrons to groups of six, with tables six feet apart, to reduce the risk of Covid.

In the statement, the Democrat went on to say: “Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols.”

“Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together”.

“Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it,” added the governor. “In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologise.”

The Democrat is not the first to attract criticism for defying Covid-related rules, after California’s Gavin Newsom was pictured at a restaurant in early November with 10 others.

Mr Newsom, also a Democrat, apologised, saying he “made a bad mistake” and argued that it was outdoors, although that was disputed.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.