Newsom says he shouldn’t have attended 12-person party amid pandemic

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Friday acknowledged he should not have attended a 12-person birthday party amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom and his wife attended a birthday party for his adviser Jason Kinney last week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The governor had discouraged these types of gatherings during the pandemic.

“While our family followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner,” the governor said in a statement shared with The Hill.

California’s current coronavirus guidelines prohibit gatherings that include more than three households, according to the Chronicle. Gatherings must also be held outside and should last no longer than two hours.

California on Thursday became the second state to hit 1 million coronavirus cases, following Texas. The same day, the U.S. recorded more than 152,000 new cases, surpassing a daily increase of 150,000 for the first time since the pandemic hit.