Violating Covid-19 safety protocols, Sarah Palin dined at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan just two days before she tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, reports have said.

       Despite not being vaccinated against the coronavirus, Ms Palin dined indoors at Elio’s on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This goes against New York City’s Covid-19 safety guidelines, which require indoor guests to show proof of vaccination, reported The New York Times.

       Elio’s manager Luca Guaitolini said they “just made a mistake”.

       The restaurant, Mr Guaitolini said, checked vaccination cards for all their first-time customers but the drill is not the same for regulars who come in every week, adding that the restaurant is trying to get to the bottom of this.

       He was not working on Saturday night but added that the former Alaskan governor “probably just walked in and strolled over” to the table and dined with a longtime guest.

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       The restaurant is now notifying customers that they have had a confirmed exposure to the coronavirus, and employees will be tested this week.

       She was seen dining by a New York Magazine journalist Shawn McCreesh, who said his mom thought Ms Palin was Tina Fey.

       “Spotted having dinner at Elio’s on the Upper East Side, days before her lawsuit against The New York Times kicks off: Sarah Palin,” he said in a tweet.

       Ms Palin is known for her controversial anti-vaccine stand as she said at a conference last month: “It will be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot.”

       “I won’t do it, and they better not touch my kids either,” the mother of five added.

       Ms Palin had also called top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci “the biggest shyster out there”.

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       Ms Palin’s positive test report has now delayed her trial against The New York Times, for which she had come to New York. She had previously tested positive for the virus in March last year.

       Her trial against the New York daily was expected to begin this week on Monday but has now been delayed to 3 February. She was expected to testify in person on Tuesday.