A visit to her Chautauqua County cottage that drew criticism on social media forced Erie, Pa., County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper to address the issue during a press conference last week.

Dahlkemper on Saturday said she was checking in on her family when she made the visit March 29. She noted that her daughter, who has battled mental health issues, moved into the Ripley cottage after leaving her Philadelphia home during the coronavirus outbreak.

A photograph of the county executive playing cards with her grandson found its way on social media. Dahlkemper was criticized for not following the county’s stay-at-home order, though she was quick to point out that during her brief trip she wore rubber gloves, stayed at a safe distance and only visited after the family had been at the cottage for 14 days.

“It was absolutely necessary that I check on them to ensure their safety, both physically and mentally,” Dahlkemper said. “This is the kind of wellness check that we public officials have been speaking about all across the country. While there, I took the necessary precautions that I am always speaking about to stop the spread of COVID-19. And after a short visit, I returned to my home in Erie.”

Dahlkemper said she has previously addressed the need to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.

“This pandemic is difficult for the healthiest of us,” she said. “We are all doing the best that we can. We all need to be more compassionate, less judgemental and think about our actions and how they are or are not helping us save lives and fight this pandemic. You see, we are all in this together. This virus does not discriminate.”

As of Tuesday, Erie County, Pa., had 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In Chautauqua County, there were 24 confirmed cases of the virus. None have been reported in the western part of the county, which includes Ripley, though Christine Schuyler, county public health director, said it is likely COVID-19 has found its way throughout the region.

Nonetheless, Dahlkemper said it was unfortunate her cottage visit has become politicized. The Erie Times News on Saturday reported that Brenton Davis, a former candidate for county executive, sent a letter to local news media regarding the county executive’s trip. Davis called on Dahlkemper to “quarantine yourself and resign effective immediately,” the Erie newspaper said.

“Shame on those who are using this time to politicize things and try to divide us,” Dahlkemper said at her press conference.

“There are real world dangerous consequences to this type of action. Unfortunately, this is happening all over the country.”

Dahlkemper said the issue remained a personal one and would not address it again to the media.