California governor's office says to put on mask between bites

LOS ANGELES - A confusing message released by Governor Gavin Newsom's office encourages people to wear a mask "between bites" when dining out in public, while also saying you should "minimize the number of times you take your mask off."

“Going out to eat with members of your household this weekend?” an Oct. 3 tweet from the governor’s office says. “Don't forget to keep your mask on in between bites.”

For emphasis, the tweet shows an image of someone at a dining seat wearing a mask, then not wearing a mask while taking a bite, and then putting the mask on again.

While California requires that all customers and employees wear a mask while not eating and drinking at restaurants, there is no rule that states you need to wear a mask while you're enjoying a meal.

Many people responded to the Tweet, stating that minimizing the number of times you remove your mask and putting it back on between bites contradict each other. 

Governor Newsom addressed the tweet in a press conference Wednesday afternoon and said that a staff member sent out the tweet and that the graphic was intended to imply that if during a meal, someone starts to read a book at the table, they should put their mask back on.

"I think this is the most overblown thing... but I get that we're in a highly politicized environment," Newsom said. "But it was a staff member sending out a tweet."

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