Mayor Was Traveling for Holiday as He Advised Residents Not to Travel

Denver's mayor apologised for travelling to MS for Thanksgiving despite asking people to avoid travel to reduce the spread of COVID-19. "As a public official, I apologize to the people of Denver for properly examining the message that its behavior sends to others".

Hancock came under fire after reports surfaced that he boarded a flight to Houston Wednesday morning, before heading to MS to visit his wife and daughter.

"I feel that my decision has disappointed many who believe that it is better to spend only on giving thanks", he added.

"As he has shared, the Mayor is not hosting his traditional large family dinner this year, but instead traveling alone to join his wife and daughter where the three of them will celebrate Thanksgiving at her residence instead of having them travel back to Denver", the mayor's spokesperson told KUSA 9News, which broke the story.

Minutes before his flight, he released a tweet warning people to "Pass the potatoes, not COVID", and advised them to "Host virtual gatherings instead of in-person dinners" and "Avoid travel, if you can".

He concluded, "I made my decision as a husband and father, and for those angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive the decisions that my heart and not my head carry".

"A$3 s the holidays approach, we all long to be with our families [in] person, but with the continued rise in cases, I'm urging you to refrain from travel this Thanksgiving holiday", Hancock wrote earlier this month.

"I don't expect people to be ideal", Mullica said.

Denver County has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases, with the seven-day moving average of new cases reaching a peak of 728 on November 21, county data shows.

The city also compelled residents to not mix households in a video posted on Twitter. About one in 41 Coloradans were contagious with COVID-19, compared with one in 49 in the prior week, he said during a press briefing Tuesday. "So not a time to be fearful, but a time to be very cautious".

Under the state's most recent health order, individuals are encouraged to limit travel to "necessary travel", such as for critical government and business purposes.

Government of New York Andrew CuomoAndrew Cuomo New York City "Experts" Do Not Allow Your Thanksgiving to Be Destroyed to Add COVID-19 Checkpoints to Bridges and Crossings Modifies Thanksgiving Plans in person with the Guomo family More (D) Changed his personal thanks plans He was sacked for saying his 89-year-old mother and two daughters were going to Albany to celebrate the holidays. He soon reversed course.