Sarah Palin, the unvaccinated former vice presidential candidate, was spotted at a Manhattan restaurant, two days after she tested COVID positive. 

The 57-year-old former Governor of Alaska dined at Elio’s on the Upper East Side, as reported by New York Post. Her outing is in violation of the federal quarantine guidelines. 

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Reportedly, Palin had returned to apologize for the media frenzy after eating there over the weekend. Meanwhile, New York Post reported a staffer at the Italian eatery being dismissive of the incident, saying, “People come to eat, we are not the border police”.

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Notably, Palin’s defamation trial against the New York Times, was scheduled to take place in a Manhattan federal court. However, proceedings were delayed after Palin came back positive after three rapid COVID tests. 

Judge Jed Rakoff delayed jury selection to February 3, giving Palin time to recover, while noting that the former Governor of Alaska is unvaccinated. 

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As per guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asymptomatic COVID positive people should self-quarantine for five days and only re-enter public spaces after a negative COVID test result. Accordingly, restaurants in New York are obligated to check for any proof of vaccination, before allowing diners inside. 

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Palin, who has had COVID before, has remained firmly against getting vaccinated. The Republican told an Arizona audience last month that “it will be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot.”

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Her case with the Times started in 2017 and was initially dismissed. However, this decision was reversed on appeal, in 2019. This sets the stage for a rare occurrence of a libel case, where a major media organization has to defend itself against the accusations placed by a major public figure. Palin is expected to be the star witness in her case and is seeking unspecified damages from the Times, for hampering her budding career as a politician.

[Edited with AP inputs]