Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said late last month that the growing coronavirus outbreak "is deadly serious. And we have to take it seriously, all of us."

"I personally been concerned about what I've seen in our parks, people playing basketball," she added during her news conference. "And what I've seen along our lakefront, way too many people gathering like it's just another day. This is not just another day."

To that end, city officials warned that social distancing violators could be fined $500 and then could be arrested.

Do as I say, not as I do

We've seen left-wing elected officials getting quite perturbed over citizens failing to recognize their newfound power, resulting in actions and tones that seem to be coming from exasperated parents as opposed to governors and mayors.

Well, add Lightfoot's name to the list — and she's appearing to invoke the famously parental maxim "do as I say, not as I do" to boot.

See, one of Illinois' social distancing stipulations, like other states operating in this way, is that nonessential businesses are supposed to be shut down. Among them are barber shops and hair salons, WBBM-TV reported.

But Lightfoot got a haircut over the weekend — and defended doing so.

"I am practicing social distancing," she said Monday, the station noted. "The woman who cut my hair had a mask and gloves on. So ... I'm practicing what I'm preaching ... we are trying to do everything we can to emphasize the messages around social distancing, washing your hands, staying at home. But as [an] elected official and the public face of the city, I need to make sure that I am out there and visible through this crisis."

WBBM's report included an image of Cashmere Neal's Facebook post thanking Lightfoot for letting her cut her hair Sunday — and as opposed to a safe social distance of six feet, it appears the pair are standing just inches apart:

Image source: WBBM-TV video screenshot

A tad testy, aren't we?

The Chicago Tribune reported that when Lightfoot was asked a follow-up question about the issue — that included a reference to a public service announcement in which she says "getting your roots done is not essential" — the mayor became "visibly annoyed."

"I'm the public face of this city. I'm on national media, and I'm out in the public eye," Lightfoot added, according to the paper. "I'm a person who, I take my personal hygiene very seriously. As I said, I felt like I needed to have a haircut. I'm not able to do that myself, so I got a haircut. You want to talk more about that?"

Fallout

Socialist Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa — a frequent Lightfoot critic — blasted the mayor's explanation for the haircut, the Tribune said.

"She is under no obligation to look good on national TV. She is under no obligation to book national interviews. But she is under an obligation to follow and promote social distancing in order to save lives," Ramirez-Rosa tweeted. "This is a bad example for our city."

Others ripped Lightfoot as well:

Here's the report from WBBM:

(H/T: BizPac Review)

