Expressing how frustrated he was on viewing the clip, the Prime Minister stated that the maskless party, as Covid-19 numbers surge amid the Omicron variant, was a “slap in the face.”
A group of maskless influencers filmed themselves drinking, smoking, and partying on a chartered flight from Canada to Mexico last week. They are now facing the wrath for their actions. After the videos went viral on social media, various airlines have refused to fly them back from Cancun, Mexico. The influencers were criticised for flouting Covid-19 rules amid the rising infections due to the Omicron variant. In a press conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the influencers “idiots”, reported USA Today.
Expressing how frustrated he was on viewing the clip, the Prime Minister stated that the maskless party, as Covid-19 numbers surge amid the omicron variant, was a “slap in the face.”
PM Trudeau, in his statement, mentioned how people have taken all precautions to keep themselves safe, how they have limited their family gatherings at Christmas time, wore masks, got vaccinated, and did all the right things. “It’s a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, their fellow citizens, airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible,” he added.
The party, on the chartered Sunwing flight from Canada to Mexico, was organised by James Awad, founder of the 111 Private Club. Awad flew the group of influencers to Mexico on December 30. According to a Daily Mail report, as the footage of the influencers partying inside the plane received huge backlash on social media, Sunwing cancelled the group’s January 5 flight back home. Citing safety concerns, Air Transat and Air Canada also backed out from flying them back as a group.
The problem for the influencers is only building up. A joint statement was issued by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. The authorities had called the behavior of the influencers ‘unacceptable’ and have stated that the said passengers, who broke federal travel regulations, could face a 5,000 Canadian dollars fine per offence.
