Biden is spotted maskless at DC restaurant after saying he caught a cold from ...

Biden is spotted maskless at DC restaurant after saying he caught a cold from ...
Biden is spotted maskless at DC restaurant after saying he caught a cold from ...

President Joe Biden was seen maskless at the Imperfecto restaurant in Washington DC Friday night despite admitting he had a cold during a coughing fit earlier that day. 

Biden had sparked health concerns Friday afternoon when he gave a news conference speaking with a hoarse voice and coughing his way through the speech.  

Although photos show him walking out of the restaurant without a mask, a BBC correspondent said a colleague claimed he saw Biden inside the restaurant not wearing one.

The BBC's Tara McKelvey tweeted, 'I was with the press pool, and we waited outside Imperfecto restaurant for him. My colleague says he saw him inside the restaurant through a window, and the president was not wearing a mask. Outside, in front of the cameras, he wore one.'

Washington had lifted its indoor mask mandate last week, but the White House has said indoor masking regulations should return amid the rise of the COVID Omicron variant in the US. 

Joe Biden was spotted at the Imperfecto restaurants in Washington DC Friday night

Joe Biden was spotted at the Imperfecto restaurants in Washington DC Friday night

It comes after the presidents admitted he was sick in a cough-riddled speech earlier

It comes after the presidents admitted he was sick in a cough-riddled speech earlier

The president plans to make all his appearances this weekend despite the illness

The president plans to make all his appearances this weekend despite the illness

A BBC correspondent claimed Biden was not wearing a mask after he entered Imperfecto

A BBC correspondent claimed Biden was not wearing a mask after he entered Imperfecto

Washington DC lifted its indoor mask mandate last week, but the White House has said indoor masking regulations should return amid the rise of the COVID Omicron variant in the US

Washington DC lifted its indoor mask mandate last week, but the White House has said indoor masking regulations should return amid the rise of the COVID Omicron variant in the US

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has insisted that the president is following proper COVID-19 protocols and will be forging ahead with all public appearances, which includes an outing to the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements on Sunday. 

She said Biden was tested for COVID more often than usual this week - three times - because of his cold symptoms. 

'He's taken over the counter cold medication and probably some cough drops and some tea,' Psaki said. 

Kevin O'Conner, Biden's doctor, said in a statement about the president's health, 'As is readily apparent, the president is experiencing some increased nasal congestion this week. This can be heard in his voice and he is feeling the colloquially well-known 'frog in one's throat.''

'Investigation has included a comprehensive respiratory panel which includes 19 common respiratory pathogens, to include COVID-19, other coronaviruses, influenza, streptococcus, to name a few... all of these tests were negative.'

When asked about his cold, Biden said, 'What I have is a one and a half year old grandson who likes to kiss his pop,' referencing the fact that he might have gotten sick through his grandson, Beau Jr. 

The White House said Biden was tested three times for COVID amid the coughing

The White House said Biden was tested three times for COVID amid the coughing

Despite Psaki's claim that Biden follows all COVID-19 policy's, the president  was seen shopping in Nantucket on Saturday without a mask

Despite Psaki's claim that Biden follows all COVID-19 policy's, the president  was seen shopping in Nantucket on Saturday without a mask

Last weekend Biden was also caught disobeying and indoor mask mandate as he did some shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend.  

The president, who had been staying in Nantucket with his family, was spotted inside Murray's Toggery Shop with his mask around his neck and not covering his mouth. A large 'Face Covering Required' sign could be seen on the front door of the shop.

The island brought back its indoor mask mandates earlier this month at a town meeting on November 18. They made the decision to return to indoor masking because scientists found a prevalence of the virus in island sewage.

Biden's physician pronounces him 'fit for duty' in first public medical report

Joe Biden is 'fit for duty,' his doctor declared Friday after the president's routine medical exam, which included a colonoscopy and 'extremely detailed neurologic exam.'

Biden is 'fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exceptions or accommodations,' Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's longtime physician, wrote in a six-page memo to press secretary Jen Psaki, which was released by the White House.

In the first public medical report of Biden's presidency, O'Connor addressed a couple of items that had become topic of public discourse - the president's notable increase in coughing and clearing his throat and whether his stiffer gait a symptom of a neurological problem - such as a stroke.

'There were no findings that which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder,' the doctor noted, saying the 'extremely detailed neurologic exam was reassuring.'

O'Connor concluded the causes were actually fairly minor issues.

Biden is experiencing 'increasing frequency and severity of 'throat clearing' and coughing during speaking engagements' over the last few months and it 'warranted detailed investigation,' the doctor acknowledged.

The cause was found to be gastroesophageal reflux, which has him 'clear his throat more often.' It also contributes to his 'occasional cough and sinus congestion.' His symptoms are exacerbated after meals, the report notes. He has no tumors in his sinuses however, and no signs of ulcer or stomach cancer.

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