Written by Moira McCarthy on December 9, 2020 â Fact checked by Maria Gifford
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was criticized for attending a dinner inside a restaurant after advising the public to avoid indoor gatherings. Getty Images
The governor of California and the mayor of Austin, Texas, have been criticized for not following the COVID-19 guidelines they issued to the public.
Experts say when elected leaders disregard the rules, they can lose the publicâs trust and encourage citizens to also break the rules.
If leaders feel a rule must be broken, then they should look at whether that rule needs to be changed, they say.