When you do grasp the concept of loyalty, you will see that it’s not always a virtue.
Machiavelli was famous (or notorious) for pointing out that loyalty to friends was not always a political virtue. 
(Though he also recommended appearing to be loyal.)
The passage still shocks: but, in the end, do we pay our politicians to be loyal to their friends or to take decisions in the public interest?
I can think of at least one modern politician who has eloquently argued that the latter is the right approach. google.com/amp/s/amp.theg…
This, by the way, is an excellent discussion of the ethics of political conduct, including the role of loyalty. books.google.co.uk/books/about/Po…
But I suggest that one fairly uncontentious conclusion of any reflection on the morality of political conduct is that, when claims of loyalty clash with putting out a clear and consistent public health message in order to save lives, the latter prevails.
