An 8-minute video has just gone viral, showing anti-mask protesters attempting to make their way into a Trader Joe's and the store manager's firm yet superhumanly polite rejection.
The video, posted on Instagram by a user who identifies as @davenewworld_, has been viewed over 570K times in just a few days. It has also been viewed more than 8 million times on Twitter.
The Salem, Oregon store representative confirmed that the incident took place.
The recording begins with a woman who remains behind the camera (but quickly exposes herself as a typical Karen) approaching the Trader Joe's entrance and the manager blocking her way. They exchange pleasantries at first but she soon tries to escalate things.
Image credits: davenewworld_2
People are in awe of the way this manager kept his cool while dealing with anti-mask Karens
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_2
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: davenewworld_
Oregon's mask requirements state that wearing a mask is required in all indoor public spaces. Adults are only exempt if they have a medical condition that makes it hard for them to breathe or a disability that prevents them from wearing a mask altogether.
Public places such as grocery stores are entitled by law to deny service to whoever refuses to wear a mask.
USA Today talked to legal experts and they said that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not give people the right to shop without a mask.
In a recent interview, general practitioner, medical researcher, and founder of PrimeHealth Clinical Research, Iris Gorfinkel, M.D., told Bored Panda that the CDC made it clear that masks protect both their wearers and the people around them. "Masks are helpful because they block large and fine droplet particles that the virus can cling to," Gorfinkel said. "They're helpful for blocking not just COVID-19 but other viruses as well, including influenza."
"In fact, a study done in Thailand looked at more than 1,000 people and found that those wearing a mask during high-risk exposure reduce the risk of getting infected by 70%. That’s seven zero. That's a lot. And we’ve also seen reduced transmission on flights lasting longer than 10 hours."
Here's what people said after watching the video
Image credits: KarmaJayne
Image credits: Aquilla15809347
Image credits: vern_monty
Image credits: SleeepyLabRat
Image credits: cvjonardi
Image credits: davenewworld_2
Image credits: davenewworld_
Image credits: teilzeitfancy
Image credits: Noteseton81
Image credits: MichiganMayhem5
Image credits: andresoventi
Image credits: TheeAJPowell
Image credits: vikings1968
Image credits: PinkWyldflower