Austin mayor tells residents to stay in homes while he was in Cabo after flying there on private jet

Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, Texas, told residents in early November in a video to “stay home if you can.”

But Adler wasn't home – he was vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. 

What's more, Adler had flown to the luxurious seaside resort aboard a private jet with eight guests, including immediate and extended family.

"The Mexico trip was one day after Adler hosted a wedding with 20 guests for his daughter at a boutique hotel in Austin," Fox News reported.

Several wedding attendees flew to Austin from across the U.S., including the Seattle-based photographer, according to KVUE-TV. At the time, Austin was under Stage 3 guidelines, which mandate no more than 10 people at gatherings.

"Adler told KVUE senior reporter Tony Plohetski that he did not violate his own order or orders by Gov. Greg Abbott and took multiple steps to ensure the safety of his guests, including rapid COVID-19 testing," the station reported. "But the private actions are from a public official who has been front and center urging Austinites to take COVID-19 precautions – and he even did so while he was out of the country."

The day after the eight-member party left for the resort, Austin’s top health authority, Dr. Mark Escott, issued a public warning: “If you are going to go out to a restaurant, go out with your family, the people who live in your household, not the family or friends who don’t live in your household. And start to decrease those travels outside of your home that are not necessary.”

Adler released a lengthy statement Wednesday: 

"Every day since March, I repeat that being home is the safest place for people to be. Only at our most trying moments, like around Thanksgiving, have I asked people not to travel as part of extra precautions. Several weeks ago, when my daughter cancelled her planned wedding to replace it with a COVID-appropriate, more private ceremony and when my family traveled, we consulted with health authorities and worked hard to model the kind of behavior I’ve asked of the community.

"We were in a lower risk 'Yellow' level than now. It is always safest to stay home. However, we aren’t asking people never to venture out. We ask everyone to be as safe as possible in what they do. My family and I are no exception and we’ll continue to do as I ask of our community. During Thanksgiving and as anticipated for Christmas and the New Year, we should all be especially mindful." 

After the story broke that Adler was in Cabo at the time, the mayor released another statement: 

"I regret this travel. I wouldn’t travel now, didn’t over Thanksgiving and won’t over Christmas. But my fear is that this travel, even having happened during a safer period, could be used by some as justification for risky behavior. In hindsight, and even though it violated no order, it set a bad example for which I apologize."