Photos of Scott Moe shopping while unmasked draw online ire, Sask. Party points to deleted Ryan Meili photo - CBC.ca

The Saskatchewan Party is responding to criticism from online followers and experts after it posted photos of Leader Scott Moe shopping without a mask on Tuesday.

While no one is near Moe in the photos and Saskatchewan's official COVID-19 guidelines only call for people to wear masks if they can't physically distance from others, the photo was posted about an hour and a half after the province's chief medical health officer, Dr.

"We have to focus again in a lot of situations where we may have popped in to get something not wearing a mask," Shahab said at a COVID-19 news conference Tuesday afternoon.

One person who said they are a committed Moe voter said he should have been wearing a mask.

Jim Billington, a spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Party campaign, said Moe was maintaining an appropriate physical distance when the photo was taken.

"Throughout the campaign, the premier has worn a mask when physical distancing is not possible, including at campaign events, public appearances or visits to campaign offices or businesses," Billington said in an emailed statement.

"Just as Saskatchewan people have taken every effort to adjust their lives to public health guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic, Saskatchewan's main political parties, and the leaders of those parties, have taken painstaking efforts to adjust campaigns to fit with COVID-19 guidance from public health." .

At a news conference in Regina on Wednesday, Moe said he had been wearing a mask during other parts of his Cowtown visit, but that he took it off when he was far enough away from others.

Billington likened Moe's actions at Cowtown to those of Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili, "who, in accordance with public health guidance, has also not worn a mask while physically distancing in very similar settings," Billington said. .

Billington pointed to two campaign photos of an unmasked Meili taken during a tour of Moose Jaw businesses on Sept.

Dave Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Saskatchewan NDP Party campaign, said the photo was taken from an angle that appeared to show Meili to be closer than he appeared, but that he was appropriately distanced. .

Mitchell said the photo was removed because the party "wanted to show leadership" and did not want to inadvertently encourage insufficient social distancing. .

"As a campaign we work to abide by the recommendations of public health officials in all of our activities," Mitchell said.

"Everyone is doing their best to follow public health guidelines during a difficult year." .