AG apologises for appearing maskless but maintains, no regulations broken

Hours after Opposition Senator Wade Mark called for him to be fired as a Cabinet minister, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi apologised for appearing on an Instagram live video without wearing a mask. But he insists all public health regulations were obeyed during the episode's filming.

Al-Rawi appeared on the Vibes with Voicey livestream hosted by soca artiste Aaron "Voice" St Louis on Thursday night.

The episode, to raise funds for charity, also featured an appearance from Beyond the Tape co-host Supt Roger Alexander.

At a covid19 briefing at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on Saturday, the Prime Minister said he was disappointed by Al-Rawi's conduct and no official was exempt from following the public health regulations.

Responding to Newsday's via WhatsApp on Sunday, Al-Rawi said he was aware of the criticisms and assured while all rules were followed, he apologised for not wearing a mask and promised to do better.

"Quite simply and in all the circumstances I am renewed in giving my personal redoubled commitment to do better by being seen to adopt best practices.

"I fully support the Honourable Prime Minister’s reflections on this issue and especially his expressed view that each of us have a part to play in fighting covid19.

"I’m certainly very far from any perfection and have a bunch of big fat ugly mistakes which I embrace openly.

"Even though no law was broken, I should have done better and unreservedly apologise!"

Al-Rawi said his intention for appearing on the livestream was to bring relief through charity and light-heartedness.

He also noted the regulations on mask wearing could get blurred in private settings, home functions, weddings and restaurants and commended hosts Voice and Penny for their work in coordinating the event.

Newsday also spoke with Voice's manager Lyndon Gomez who said the studio where the game show was filmed was at a private residence and wanted to assure the public that all safety regulations were obeyed.

"When we had him (Al-Rawi) it might have slipped us that there could be some uproar, but the show was at a private residence and I know that masks don't have to be worn in those spaces.

"We did our best to obey the public health regulations, so surfaces were sanitised and there were only seven people allowed in the studio. We took it so seriously that not even I was allowed inside at the time."