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Cuomo, who has been adamant about New Yorkers wearing masks and socially distancing since he started his crusade against COVID-19 in March, was seen twice embracing Savannah Mayor Van Johnson at the end of a press conference.
The video has since gone viral on social media.
It has been reported that while meeting with Johnson, the two had their masks on at all other times and remained six feet apart despite their momentary lapse, which has been called “a moment of humanity.”
In a statement, Johnson said: "We're human. We made a mistake, and I think for people who want to take the significance of that entire day, the significance of this massive donation, the significance of this wonderful friendship and partnership, and want to delineate it to a picture, I think they need other stuff to do.”
When asked for comment, Cuomo's top adviser Rich Azzopardi told The New York Post this week that “everyone wore masks the entire time except when they spoke at the press conference and these photos were taken three seconds after it ended.”
“There is no bigger champion of wearing masks than this governor and it’s ironic that the right-wing echo chamber that spent months trying to politicize mask-wearing is now trying to seize of this cheap political attack."
At the time of Cuomo’s trip, Georgia was and remains among the states with rising COVID-19 infections on New York’s travel advisory list that requires visitors to quarantine for 14 days.
The video of Cuomo and Johnson can be seen here.
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