Amid coronavirus mask-wearing feud with Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor got checked on social media by critics who dug up pictures of her celebrating another major sporting event without a face covering.
After saying her mask mandate appeared to have been a success earlier this week, she hinted that people photographed breaking it could be in trouble.
“I’m proud of our community, but those few bad actors will be identified, and the Tampa Police Department will handle it,” she told reporters Monday.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 30: Mayor of Tampa Bay Jane Castor speaks during the 2020 Stanley Cup Champion rally on September 30, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Bucs fans had plenty of reason to celebrate Sunday, after quarterback Tom Brady led them to glory in Super Bowl LV, his seventh personal win and first on a team other than the New England Patriots.
TOM BRADY, BUCS DOMINATE CHIEFS TO WIN SUPER BOWL LV
After Castor said city police would crack down on unmasked Super Bowl celebrants, critics were quick to share photos on social media showing her at public events without a mask of her own.
In one, she even appeared at an event that drew direct parallels to the Bucs’ success – celebrating the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory in October. She even appeared posing with players on Lightning star Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Instagram feed – in an image where no one was wearing a mask. (Scroll to the fourth image.)
A spokesperson for Castor’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.
For her part, she said Monday she would allow some kind of celebration in the city to honor the Super Bowl champs – although she didn’t immediately offer up details.
And she said the city had not seen a coronavirus spike in the wake of the Stanley Cup celebrations.
“We can’t have a historic event of this significance in our community and not celebrate it,” she told local reporters, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
She said that if “a majority” of those in attendance wore masks, “we can tamp down and contain the spread of COVID-19.”
And overall, despite reports of non-socially distanced celebrations Sunday night, she said she was “happy with the compliance” overall when it came to her mask mandate.
