Austin News

While Austin Mayor Steve Adler was telling residents to stay home, he was vacationing in Mexico.

Adler, who told residents of the city to stay home and social distance, participated in his daughter’s wedding and reception, where there were 20 guests, at a downtown hotel and then boarded a private jet with the guests and traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for one week to vacation at a family timeshare, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

While on vacation, Adler posted a Facebook video telling residents to stay home if possible.

“We need to stay home if you can,” Adler said in the video. “This is not the time to relax. We are going to be looking really closely. ... We may have to close things down if we are not careful.”

However, when confronted, Adler said he didn’t break any of his own orders, nor did he break any that were made by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Despite these claims, the city was recommending people not gather in groups larger than 10 at the time and the city’s health authority had warned that COVID-19 numbers needed to be driven down before Thanksgiving, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Adler never admitted to being outside of the country when he posted the video on Facebook, according to the news media. It wasn’t until after the news media reported of his vacationing that he finally apologized.

“I regret this travel,” he said in a statement, the news media reported. “My fear is that this travel, even having happened during a safer period, could be used by some as justification for risky behavior. In hindsight, and even though it violated no order, it set a bad example for which I apologize.”

Adler continued to maintain that his actions did not violate his regulations, the news media reported.