The multiple hypocrisies of officials who flout Covid precautions

As a parent, I know that one of the first rules of parenting is to model the behavior I want to see. “Do as I say, not as I do” is rarely an effective strategy: My children notice even the slightest whiff of double standard between my words and my actions. This holds true for simple things, like not snacking before dinner, as well as the big things, like Covid-19 precautions. I can’t get together with friends and then tell them they’re not allowed to do so.

Our politicians and appointed officials are certainly not parents, but they do serve as leaders and role models. And — just like parents — their language and messaging on Covid-19 matters. Their actions matter. What matters most of all is the concordance between the two.

Consistent disregard for public health principles has a negative effect, of course. The Covid-denying activities of Republican officials — the super-spreader event at the White House that may have been where several party leaders got infected and the holiday parties at the White House — are disappointing. But some Republican leaders have already proven that they don’t believe the science about viral transmission, and those who watch Fox News or identify as Republican are already less likely to follow basic precautions.

But what is far worse are the activities of those who, on the one hand, plead with their constituents to stay home — and then turn around and do the opposite. Because, as my daughter says to me when I bring my phone to the dinner table: “Mom, if you can do it, why can’t I?”

We are in the midst of a national disaster. We — politicians and public health officials — are asking people to do the very hardest thing: to not see their families during a series of holidays that revolve around families, in order to stave off future disease spread. Delayed gratification is difficult even in normal times.

If there were ever a time for politicians and scientific experts to walk the walk, it would be now. Which is why the multiple hypocrisies of the past month are so harmful.

The Democratic mayor of Denver told residents to stay home for Thanksgiving — and then flew to Mississippi.

The Democratic mayor of Austin recorded a video imploring his constituents to stay home — while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, more than 800 miles away.

Most recently, it was revealed that White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the administration’s most publicly recognizable scientists, traveled during Thanksgiving to be with multiple generations of her family. (Dr. Birx says she went to Delaware to winterize a property before a potential sale rather than to celebrate Thanksgiving, but that her family had shared a meal together while in Delaware.) She has since announced that she plans to retire, saying the criticism had been “very difficult” for her family.

Now, none of these officials violated their own state’s rules. Each claimed that they were planning to quarantine on return. But that’s splitting hairs. Each state has its own rules about masks, indoor dining, social get-togethers, quarantine and travel, each of which may, or may not, coincide with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s guidance on best practice. That doesn’t mean that the science on viral transmission isn’t clear. Indoor, maskless get-togethers are high risk during this time of high community prevalence of Covid-19. Period. And at the end of the day, these officials said one thing, and then did another. Even if they ate outdoors and kept their masks on inside, they traveled after advising others not to.

Moreover, if it were just these officials making unsafe choices on their own, that would be one thing. But we know that’s not how it works with Covid-19. If one person uses poor judgment and goes to a wedding or a restaurant or a home get-together while sick, it may not hurt them — but it has a ripple effect on their community. And when many of the hospitals in our country already report being overwhelmed, without intensive care unit beds or adequate staff, then the family who were in a car accident, the patient having a heart attack, or the person with a bleeding ulcer might not get the care they need. Every individual act has societal implications and ramifications. All the more so on the part of our politicians and public health leaders.

Our country is already rife with a distrust of science and evidence-based policy. Although I deeply disagree with those who assert that the public health rules are an attempt at totalitarian control, these experiments in hair-splitting provide easy ammunition to the anti-expertise crowd. These hypocrisies are an unnecessary and preventable distraction from the real issue at hand — the virus, itself.

On my end, I celebrated Thanksgiving over Zoom. On Christmas, I had my parents onto my outdoor porch, at 6 feet distance, masked, for about 15 minutes. I haven’t traveled outside my state since March. It isn’t fun. I wish it were otherwise. But as a parent and a public health researcher, I need to set the right example. I can’t ask others to do what I am not willing to do, myself.

I wish that every person in a position of power or influence would do the same.