Officials Make Surprise Visit to CPAC After Crowd Boos Mask Requirements
FACE OFF
Orlando officials made a surprise visit to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday—the same day the crowd booed and jeered emcees who reminded them that the conference venue, the Hyatt Regency Orlando, required face masks to be worn. A spokesman for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said strike teams, or business compliance teams, “made an unannounced visit to the Hyatt Regency.” Despite the crowd’s obvious contempt for local coronavirus rules, the spokesman insisted the strike teams “found that every effort is being made to make sure their guests are wearing masks and abiding by the hotel’s COVID-19 safety plan and Orange County’s Executive Order.”
Ian Walters, a CPAC spokesperson, said hotel security had ejected two attendees for repeated mask violations. Though CPAC did not identify those ejected, two right-wing activists lamented on Twitter that they had been kicked out for removing their masks to interact with fans. Face masks are compulsory in public spaces in Orlando and in private businesses where employees and patrons can’t social distance, according to Orange County Executive Orders.