Cardi B and Rita Ora Apologize for Breaking Lockdown Rules to Party With Friends

Prince Williams / Contributor, David M. Benett / Contributor, Getty Images

Cardi...Rita...when it comes to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rules are not meant to be broken. Both Cardi B and Rita Ora are now apologizing for hosting large celebrations over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Fans called both musical artists out for disregarding (COVID-19) guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) prior to the holiday in an effort to thwart a potentially devastating spike of COVID cases caused by gathering with family and friends.

On Sunday, November 29th, Cardi B tweeted that she hosted 12 kids and 25 adults at her Thanksgiving party, and later shared several videos on Instagram Stories showing her guests and husband Offset dancing inside her Atlanta home. She immediately received backlash for hosting so many people during the ongoing pandemic.

"Sorry, my bad, wasn't trying to make nobody feel bad," she wrote. "I just had my family in my home for the first time and it felt so good and uplifted me. I spent so much money getting everyone tested but it felt worth it. I wasn't trying to offend no1."

In another tweet Cardi B hammered home the importance of getting tested. "ME specially and everyone that works around me get tested literally 4 times a week," she wrote. "Im In the middle of work and Everytime we clock in we MUST GET TESTED !"

Ora also took to social media to apologize after she celebrated her 30th birthday on Sunday, November 29th, by hosting a gathering with friends at a Notting Hill restaurant.

"It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK." Ora wrote on her Instagram Story, per HuffPost. The outing took place during English Prime Minister Boris Johnson's reinstated lockdown, which is set to be lifted on December 2nd.

Ora continued, "I'm deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk. This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement. Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility."

Ora also noted that she feels "embarrassed," acknowledging how hard so many people are fighting to combat COVID-19 while she found it okay to attend a party at a restaurant. The outing happened after Ora posted a November 26th birthday Instagram writing that "it felt weird not doing anything."

Ahead of Thanksgiving, the CDC updated its COVID-19 hub with a post regarding traveling and gathering with loved ones during the holiday season. "Celebrating virtually or with members of your own household...poses the lowest risk for spread," the CDC post stated. "In-person gatherings that bring together family members or friends from different households, including college students returning home, pose varying levels of risk."

Hosting an indoor gathering with any number of people poses the greatest risk, especially when travel and lack of social distancing and mask wearing is factored into the equation.

It's disheartening to see our favorite celebrities with mega platforms bucking the guidelines to spend time with friends while the rest of us are following the rules and sacrificing our social lives in an effort to heal the general population. As long as we stay home, stay distant, and stay masked we'll all be able to gather again sooner than later.