Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, a notorious critic of anti covid vaccines, was dining in a New York restaurant last Saturday, despite the citywide obligation to show proof of vaccination to eat in bars, restaurants, and all entertainment venues.
The New York Times newspaper reports this Tuesday that Palin went to Elio’s, a place frequented by celebrities of all kinds in the Upper East neighborhood, whose owner acknowledged to the newspaper that Palin was not asked for her proof of vaccination because she was accompanied from a trusted client whose name they did not reveal.
Palin, who became a vice-presidential candidate, was summoned yesterday for the start of a trial against the New York Times, a newspaper to which she sued for defamation, but the case could not be opened because yesterday morning the former senator tested positive to the covid-19 tests, which has forced the trial to be delayed until February 3.
The owner of Elio’s acknowledged having “made a mistake” and said they plan to get to the bottom of the matter, although the anecdote reveals that mandatory vaccination is not applied equally to everyone in some places.
A reporter from the CNBC television network reported that he, too, did not have to show proof of the vaccine on a recent visit to the same place because no one demanded it.
Palin has recently passed covid-19, which has not stopped her from speaking out against vaccines. In a recent speech in Arizona he even said: “It will be over my dead body that they will force me to get vaccinated. I’m not going to do it,” he said.
Palin’s lawsuit dates back to 2017 when the newspaper published an editorial alluding to a 2011 shooting that killed 6 people and seriously injured then-Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
The newspaper linked the event to a map distributed by the Republican’s political action campaign and which marked several electoral districts, including Giffords, with crosshairs.
The newspaper acknowledged its mistake and published a correction two days later, but Palin insists it was done in bad faith to try to harm her and is seeking financial compensation.