The mayor of Denver told residents not to travel for Thanksgiving, just half an hour before he boarded a flight to Houston to spend the holiday with his family, according to NBC 9News in Colorado. Mayor Michael Hancock encouraged his city’s residents to “host virtual gatherings instead of in-person dinners” and “avoid travel, if you can” via Twitter on Wednesday. Shortly after, he was on a flight to Houston.

Hancock traveled to meet his wife and daughter in Mississippi, his spokesperson told 9News. COVID-19 cases in Denver County are currently spiking, with the seven-day case average topping 700 for the first time earlier this week, per Denver Public Health’s case tracker. He later wrote on Twitter, “I apologize to the residents of Denver who see my decision as conflicting with the guidance to stay at home for all but essential travel...I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are borne of my heart and not my head.”