A video made in a South Florida grocery store shows almost all customers and employees without a mask.
The footage was shot this week at the Oakes Farms Seed to Table Market in Naples, about 67 kilometers south of Fort Myers. In it, no mask is in sight and social distance is not being followed.
On Thursday morning, the video on NBC News correspondent Sam Brock’s Twitter page generated 7,600 comments, nearly 16,000 retweets and more than 20,000 likes. Reactions vary, with some defending customers and employees and others expressing outrage.
Shop owner Alfie Oakes could not be reached for comment on Thursday. He told NBC’s “TODAY” program that he knows that the masks don’t work and doesn’t believe the coronavirus has killed hundreds of thousands of people in the United States.
“This is total bullshit,” said Oakes, adding later: “Why don’t we close the world because of heart attacks? Why don’t we close cities because of heart attacks?”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly stated that masks and social detachment can help slow the spread of coronavirus.
According to the latest data from NBC News, the total number of deaths in the country has risen to over 452,000, with Florida having the fourth highest number of deaths.
Collier County, where Naples is located, has seen more than 27,000 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began and 413 deaths, according to the state Department of Health website.
Even though the county has a mask mandate in place, the Oakes store has a sign on the front that indicates that customers don’t need to wear one if they have a health problem.
“Those in our lovely government have ordered everyone who enters internal facilities to wear a mask. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing the mask, you are exempt from this order. Due to HIPAA and the 4th Amendment, we cannot legally ask you about your medical condition, “he says.
“So if we see you without a mask, we will assume that you have a health problem and receive it to support our business.”
County commissioner Andy Solis said his biggest fear was that Covid-19 cases would increase and hospitals would be overcrowded.
“It is very disappointing and very worrying,” he said.
