Virginia's Northam apologizes for not wearing a mask at beach: 'I wasn't prepared'

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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam admitted on Monday that he made a mistake over the weekend by venturing out in Virginia Beach without a mask on during the coronavirus pandemic, saying he takes “full responsibility” for the gaffe just moments before announcing a statewide mandate requiring people to wear a face mask in public spaces.

Northam visited the beach with Mayor Bobby Dye on the second day of the beach’s reopening. Virginia Beach's reopening is considered a test to see if people can safely follow social distancing rules before other beaches in Virginia reopen.

But Northam, who previously served as an Army doctor, came under fire when images of him surfaced on social media not wearing a face mask and apparently in close contact with other community members.

NORTHAM DITCHES CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS FOR VIRGINIA BEACH AFTER WEEKEND SEES CROWDS DEFY HIS ORDERS

“I was outside, saw people who wanted to take pictures and I wasn't prepared,” Northam said on Monday. “I was there to talk to officials and the media. I wasn't prepared to talk to the public.”

Critics on social media jumped on Northam for not wearing a mask in public despite previous pleas for residents to wear facial coverings.

In this Saturday, May 23, 2020, photo, Gov. Ralph Northam and Tori Bloxom, of Onancock, Va., take a selfie as the governor visits the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Va., to see for himself how crowded the beach was. Northam has repeatedly urged Virginia residents to cover their faces in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Democrat didn’t heed his own plea when he posed mask-less for photographs alongside residents during the weekend beach visit. A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said on Sunday that Northam should have brought a face mask with him during his visit on Saturday to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

“Physician, heal thyself,” tweeted Todd Gilbert, a Republican who is Virginia’s House Minority Leader.

Following his apology on Monday, Northam announced the new mandate requiring Virginians to wear face masks while out in public when social distancing measures cannot be enforced. The new measure is a requirement for anyone 10 years or older and is meant to stop the spread of the virus when people are inside public places like restaurants, hair salons and government buildings.

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Northam said there are some exceptions, such as that masks can be removed when eat or drinking, when exercising, and if you have trouble breathing with a mask or a health condition that prevents a person from wearing one.

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The Virginia lawmaker said law enforcement in the state will not be monitoring who wears a mask, but said the mandate will be enforced through the Virginia Department of Health.

"This isn't about locking people up,” he said. “The only legal enforcement we have is a Class 1 misdemeanor... We will enforce this through the Virginia Department of Health.”

Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.