In a clip that has since gone viral, a Trader Joe's customer flipped out in a public meltdown after she was asked to wear a mask due to coronavirus concerns. On Friday, the woman allegedly arrived at the San Fernando Valley store wearing a mask, TMZ reports, but as she was shopping, took the mask off. Employees subsequently approached the woman and politely requested she put her mask back on, and she wasn't having any of it.
As shown in the video capturing the incident, she yelled out at everyone in the store, calling them "fucking democratic pigs." She accused one of the employees of harassing her for not wearing a mask, although she was simply told to leave since the store has a policy in place to not allow people without masks in the store. "I have a breathing problem," the woman who has since been dubbed "Trader Karen" told the man who filmed the video.
She went on to allege that her doctor told her that she couldn't wear a mask and that anyone who asks her to wear a mask is "violating federal laws." She later left the store, which had only reopened that day following a temporary closure on account of the pandemic.
On Friday, it was revealed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that there had been an increase in coronavirus cases in the region. The seven-day average of daily new cases in the county is now 1,979, an increase from the 1,379 average just two weeks prior, Deadline reports.
