Sarah Palin returned to a New York Italian restaurant 2 days after her positive COVID-19 test. The manager said she was there to apologize.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Steve Nesius/Reuters

• Palin dined inside Elio's on Saturday, and tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
• NYC requires vaccination proof for indoor dining but Elio's didn't ask Palin, who is unvaccinated, for it.

• The restaurant told Mediaite she returned on Wednesday to apologize, and they seated her outdoors.

Sarah Palin returned to a New York City restaurant two days after testing positive for COVID-19, Mediaite and the New York Post reported.

It was the same restaurant she dined inside on Saturday, two days before her positive COVID-19 test on Monday. That visit by Palin, who is unvaccinated, was in violation of New York City's requirement that all indoor-dining guests show proof of vaccination before entering.

Mediaite published photos showing the former Alaska governor dining outdoors at Elio's in Manhattan's Upper East Side on Wednesday.

It was not clear whether Palin was still infectious as of Wednesday. Insider was unable to contact Elio's before opening hours.

Luca Guaitolini, Elio's manager, told Mediaite in a Wednesday statement issued via a spokesperson: "Tonight Sarah Palin returned to the restaurant to apologize for the fracas around her previous visit."

"In accordance with the vaccine mandate and to protect our staff, we seated her outdoors. We are a restaurant open to the public, and we treat all civilians the same."

Luca Guaitolini, Elio's manager, confirmed Palin's visit to The New York Times, saying she dined inside with an unnamed longtime guest.

"We just made a mistake," he told The Times of the restaurant's failure to check Palin's vaccination status. "She probably just walked in and strolled over [to the table]. We are trying to get to the bottom of this." 

A spokesman for New York City told The Times on Tuesday that Elio's would not be investigated for not checking Palin's vaccination status on Saturday.

He told The Times that many of the city agencies that enforce vaccination rules only issue violations in cases where an inspector personally witnesses it.

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