Rep. Thomas Massie announced his office will not order takeout from any DC restaurants that require proof of vaccination to dine indoors, adding “We will get our food from Virginia or we will bring it to work”:
The DC vaccine mandate kicks in this weekend. My office will not comply. We will not show papers. We will not order takeout from restaurants that require papers for dine in. We will get our food from Virginia or we will bring it to work. Shame has befallen our nation’s capital.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 14, 2022
Or maybe hire a personal chef?
It's time to start thinking about a personal chef for the team…
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) January 14, 2022
Why, yes, we would like Chef Gruel as our personal office chef:
Crispy lobster burrito. Fairly reasonable lunch. pic.twitter.com/sqzUc6Zlnj
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) January 14, 2022
Rep. Massie is right, of course, as there are also First Amendment issues at play here:
There are serious functional First Amendment concerns when millions of families cannot practically come to Washington, DC to petition their government for redress of grievances.
Congress should overturn the DC unvaccinated patrons ban. https://t.co/091FmJ8glg
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) January 14, 2022
And who wants to tell Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding that mandate-free Virginia under soon-to-be Gov. Glenn Youngkin doesn’t really fit his description of the state?
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Virginia is for lovers – of public health & protecting others. Stay on your own side of the river. Please pack your own lunch for work.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 14, 2022
Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC’s representative in the House, added that she will offer sandwiches to any Massie staffer this weekend, but only if they’re vaccinated:
I will provide sandwiches this weekend to members of @RepThomasMassie's staff who're vaxxed + boosted but afraid they'll get fired if they order in.
If that description fits you and you're hungry, DM me and my staff will be in touch.
DC has your back. https://t.co/n2ExGXHesS
— Eleanor #DCStatehood Holmes Norton (@EleanorNorton) January 15, 2022
And she hopes to turn it into a media circus:
https://twitter.com/EleanorNorton/status/1482179586792333312
Blue-checks, as you would guess, are having a little fun with this one:
The tree of liberty must from time to time be watered with Diet Coke from a Five Guys in Reston. https://t.co/2DN38yAprP
— Gary Legum (@GaryLegum) January 14, 2022
And:
"We will get our food from Virginia."
Lol! I give it two days before they give up commuting forty minutes one-way for meals. https://t.co/fPq6EmwlXY
— Esther Ciammachilli (@EstherCinDC) January 14, 2022
But we would think that restaurant managers who were kept in business by people not afraid to eat out *during* the pandemic would understand that penalizing those same people now is maybe not the best business strategy?
As the mother of a DC restaurant manager who, along with servers, hosts, cooks and other staffers, has worked so hard during the pandemic to stay safe while helping people have a good time, I think showing vax info at the door is a small price to pay for their and others' health. https://t.co/lfUyb406xP
— Pam Fessler (@pamelafessler) January 14, 2022
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