A Florida man was recorded lying on the ground in Costco for eight minutes protesting being told to wear a face mask. The maskless man was then asked to get up and leave the store by two local sheriffs.
‘All that I want to do is get this stuff and then leave, but the government tells me that I can’t without a mask.
“What do you want me to do?” The man asks one officer, who is wearing a mask during the exchange. Video of the exchange ends around a minute in the episode.
The incident occurred back on December 20, 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic hysteria in a Costco located in Lantana, Florida.
The video of the unidentified man went viral after it was posted on Saturday. Twitter User posted a TikTok about the bizarre incident. It had over 884,000 views and 8,000 likes, as well as nearly 3,000 combined tweets, by Sunday night.
“He said that he would sue Costco, the police, if they touched his body,” the original filmer, who requested anonymity, told Newsflare.
‘He was shopping without a mask I assume he put one on to enter and then took it off while inside but I don’t about that. He got up because the officer let him pay for his stuff. After that, he paid at the self-check out and was escorted out.
After being told to put on a mask and get off the floor, a pair of sheriffs asked him to leave the Costco.
“All I want is to buy this stuff and then leave, but the government is telling my that I can’t unless it’s a mask,” the man said to one of the responding officers.
The incident took place back in December 2020, at the height COVID-19 pandemic panic in Costco in Lantana (Florida).
The video of the man, which was not publically identified, went viral after a Twitter user posted a TikTok about the incident. It had more than 884k views by Sunday.
Pictured: The Costco store in Lantana Florida where the bizarre viral incident happened
The person behind the camera stated that the manager was arguing against an officer about whether they should have allowed him to pay for his stuff.
Costco has become a popular spot for mask mandate fights between store workers, customers, and managers. Another viral incident occurred in July at a different location.
A woman named “Costco Karen” sat on a floor in the superstore and refused to move, declaring that she has constitutional rights. After being asked to do the same, she put on a mask.
A shocking video of the confrontation that took place at Costco’s Hillsboro returns desk shows an employee asking an elderly woman to wear a mask to comply with the store’s coronavirus policy.
The woman had a face-mask hanging from one of her ears, but she refused it to be fully covered.
After being asked to wear a mask, a woman was nicknamed Costco Karen (right). Costco requires all employees and customers to wear masks in order to prevent the spread COVID-19.
The clip shows an employee asking the woman to put on a mask to follow store policy. The woman became angry and said, “I will never” and sat on ground refusing to leave.
“I am an American. I have constitutional right! She says it angrily, before the camera cuts off
Costco’s May 2020 policy required customers to wear masks starting in May 2020. One year later, Cosco and Walmart would enforce the mask requirements for customers who had been vaccinated.
“You only have to tell us that you have one. Then you must wear it. Your mask must be worn in public. In the video posted on June 30, 2020, the female employee stated that this is private property.
The woman responds, “I am not a Costco member,”
“Would you like me to take care of that?” Well, then you’re going to have to put your mask on,’ the employee says.
The woman replies, “I will never,” and adds that the mask requirement is “your problem.”
“Well then come back another day,” the employee responds.
The woman responds, “I want you to speak to your boss,”
The reason why no newer viral videos of supermarket mask meltdowns since then likely has to do with the fact that in May 2021, Costco, along with Walmart and Trader Joe’s announced that customers who’ve had their COVID vaccine no longer need to wear a mask while shopping – unless local laws say otherwise.
The announcements were made by all three grocery giants on May 14, 2021.
Washington DC Costco Store The wholesaler has relaxed its ban on masks. Vaccinated shoppers are now allowed to browse the aisles bare-faced.
A Walmart customer in Derry, New Hampshire in November 2020. The store announced that it would be lifting its rule that customers must wear masks when shopping at Walmart.
August 2020: A Trader Joe’s shopper in New York. TJ’s has also lifted the mask rule, although customers still need to cover up in certain states or counties that have ongoing mask mandates.
Trader Joe’s website announced that customers should follow CDC guidelines, which advise customers who have been fully vaccinated not to wear masks while shopping.
Costco and Trader Joe’s both stated that they will not need proof of vaccination. However, employees at the grocery store will still need to cover up their faces.
The company posted a memo to employees that stated that workers still need to answer “yes” to a vaccination question in their daily health assessment to be able to go maskless.
Walmart memo states, “Integrity, one of our core values,” and it is expected that associates will adhere to that principle when answering. Workers will need to show their original vaccine certificate to get the bonus.
Walmart was among the first retailers to require masks in July. Other chains could follow Walmart’s lead and allow vaccinated workers and shoppers not to wear masks.