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‘I am human’: Michigan governor apologizes for social distancing blunder

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2020 file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Beech Woods Recreation Center, in Southfield, Mich. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has apologized after apparently violating state-mandated social distancing guidelines at a local restaurant.

The Detroit Free Press reported Sunday that a photo circulated on social media shows Whitmer with a large group of unmasked people at an East Lansing bar and grill.


The photo, which shows Whitmer seated with about a dozen people, was posted on social media by one of the attendees, but later deleted.

No more than six people are allowed to gather together at indoor restaurants, and groups must be 6 feet apart, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Whitmer said in a statement Sunday that she went with friends to the restaurant and as more people arrived, tables were pushed together.

She said: ”Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it. In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize.”