Maskless Gov. Newsom spotted at 49ers, Rams game despite mandate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he was maskless for a brief period after photos captured Newsom and other officials’ bare faces while indoors at SoFi Stadium on Sunday despite a statewide mandate for universal indoor masking.The governor was attending the NFC Championship game where the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Los Angeles Rams.At one point during the game, Magic Johnson posed for a photo with Newsom. Neither man wore masks.Magic Johnson posted a separate photo on social media posing with San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Again, none of them wore masks.California instituted a universal indoor mask mandate in December as COVID-19 cases surged with the omicron variant. In the last few weeks, state health leaders extended that order until Feb. 15 to ease the strain on the health care system.In addition to the statewide order, SoFi stadium has a clear policy about masks that are posted on the venue’s website. It states “masks are required for all attendees” and “masks can only be removed to actively eat or drink, after which they must be immediately put back on.”As recently as Thursday, Los Angeles County officials reiterated it’s too soon to consider relaxing mask restrictions.Newsom and his office did not immediately respond to KCRA’s request for comment on the maskless photo. When asked about the photo during an event Monday in Los Angeles County, Newsom said he was “very judicious.” “You’ll see in the photo that I did take where Magic was kind enough, generous enough to ask me for a photograph, and in my left hand’s the mask and I took a photo,” he said. “The rest of the time I wore it as we all should, not when I had a glass of water. I encourage everybody else to do so. And that’s it.”Asked whether he should have reconsidered removing his mask, Newsom agreed.“Of course,” he said. “I was trying to be gracious. I made a mis–. I was trying to be gracious. I took the mask off for a brief second. I encourage people to continue to wear them.”He went on to cite declining COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations lately but said people should still maintain their vigilance. “I did so with that exception and I look forward to continue to maintain vigilance in the future,” he said. In two weeks, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will host an ever more high-profile event as the home of Super Bowl LVI.Los Angeles County health leaders said all fans will be given KN95 masks and be reminded to wear masks throughout the game unless eating or drinking.