“Things must not be taken out of context”

“The first citizen of the nation must set a good example but unfortunately we can’t say that about our head of state,” said Curtis Hofwijks who was driving through Flora on Friday when he spotted a group of people in a tent. He later found out that the president was also among those people. Hofwijks disapproves of the fact that the people in the tent did not obey the COVID-19 measures. “In a time when all of us are responsible for protecting the public health, we see the president at a gathering with more than 50 people who did not stick to the COVID-19 measures. That is unacceptable. How can they expect others to listen when our authorities abuse their position and break the rules themselves? This is about our safety and also the safety of the people who were there. It is disappointing to see the president breaking the rules regarding COVID-19. We are all tasked with fighting COVID19, even the president,” said Hofwijks. The spokesman of the president, Cliff Limburg, responded to this incident and the ongoing discussion on social media by pointing out that “a picture is a snapshot and that the videos that were shot only last about 30 seconds.” “People must know the entire story first before taking things out of proportion and blowing them up in the media. The president was driving by when he spotted a group of people. He pulled over because they were all NDP people and because he wanted to have a chat with them. He also seized the opportunity to explain the importance of the COVID-19 measures.” Limburg also pointed out that “everybody knows that many people want to meet the president when they see him and that this is also the reason why there were many people in the tent.” “When the president realized that it was getting crowded, he left the location. But he also urged those people to obey the rules. The president is 74 years of age and therefore falls under the group that is most at risk from COVID-19. He is also aware of that and is therefore extra cautious. All of us are trying to get used to the new culture but it is not easy for everybody to obey the rules. It is preposterous to say that the president broke the rules and people must stop taking things out of context,” said Limburg.