When a country is under siege by a deadly virus, residents will turn to its leaders for help.
So it’d be wise, for instance, not to tell citizens that “drinking hot water can prevent one from getting COVID-19”, such as the former Malaysian health minister did last year.
Earlier this year, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock resigned after he was caught flouting COVID-19 rules by kissing an aide in his office.
In this story, however, it’s the Prime Minister herself who’s coming under criticism for not taking the necessary safety measures.
Finland’s PM, Sanna Marin, Slammed for Clubbing After 4am Even When She’s Exposed to COVID-19
At around 4am last Sunday, while most of Finland was alseep, its Prime Minister was partying it up in a nightclub.
Normally, this wouldn’t make front-page news, but the 36-year-old had earlier been exposed to COVID-19.
Both the public and opposition party members slammed Sanna Marin for potentially flouting COVID-19 guidelines after pictures of her at Helsinki nightclub made their way to a gossip magazine.
Under fire, she explained herself in a Facebook post.
“My husband and I had spent some free time in Helsinki on the Independence Day weekend. Our daughter has been taking care of her grandparents in Tampere. We’d gone out for dinner, shopping in the city, saw our friends and spent time in the evening and night life as well,” she wrote.
She said that on Saturday evening, she received a call that Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, someone she had been in contact with, had tested positive for the coronavirus.
However, she was told that ministers would not be required to isolate because they had all been fully vaccinated.
But she received a message the next day advising her to “avoid contact” with others and to get tested for the virus. She later did, and her result came back negative.
“I should have used better judgment and double-checked the guidance given to me. I’m really sorry for not understanding that I needed to do that,” she wrote.
The top comment on her post says: “You have a right to leisure time, just like the rest of us.”
Youngest PM in the World When Appointed
Back in 2019, Marin became the youngest prime minister in the world when she was appointed.
She said she had never thought about her age and gender when it came to politics. She believed that the outcome was entirely based on her fair beliefs and intentions as a politician.
Prior to being elected as Prime Minister, the then-34-year-old was Finland’s Transport Minister.
Read Also:
- Sneaky Sushii Asked His Viewers Not to Harass The People He Made Fun of in His Videos
- Actor Desmond Tan Suddenly Announced That He Has Married His Long-Time Girlfriend
Featured Image: Nicole Mess / Shutterstock.com