Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames has apologized after a photo of her going to a closed salon made its rounds on social media.
Ames violated her own stay at home order, and the violation has sparked an investigation by the district attorney.
According to NBC News, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a stay-at-home order and closed all nonessential businesses, including nail salons. But, on April 2, Beaumont Mayor Ames had already issued a similar order for her city a week earlier than the Governor on March 27th.
But someone caught the mayor in a photo taken at “The Nail Bar” in Beaumont last Tuesday, wearing a face mask as she’s seated at a table with her hands soaking in a bowl.
The now infamous photo has brought about heavy criticism of Mayor Ames for disobeying her order in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor Ames issued an apology on Thursday calling her salon visit, a “lapse in judgement.”
“I promise there was no malice intended,” she wrote in a statement. “I should never have entered the salon last Tuesday. I did not intend to take personal privilege while asking others to sacrifice, and for that, I am truly remorseful.”
