In a now-viral video, a Florida man was seen not wearing a mask while in a Costco in Fort Myers, Florida, on June 27, as reported by local outlet NBC 2. The video shows a man wearing a red T-shirt and flip-flop sandals. What made the video go viral is not just his lack of a face covering, but that the video shows the man shouting at another customer after he was reportedly asked multiple times why he was not wearing a mask in the store. Costco has required employees, members, and guests to wear face coverings over both the nose and mouth since May 4, 2020. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the man in the video has since been fired from his job at an insurance agency.
In the video, the man can be heard yelling “I feel threatened!” as well as “Back the f--k up” and to “put your f--king phone down!” This incident was reportedly sparked when a fellow customer—identified in the original Twitter thread as an elderly woman—asked the man why he wasn’t wearing a mask. The person filming the video was reportedly a fellow customer who stepped in after the interaction became heated.
You can see the video posted below.
According to Billy Corben, who posted the viral video to Twitter, one of the customers targeted in the tirade said Costco escorted the man outside and made sure the customer got to their car safely.
On Tuesday afternoon, Tedd Todd Insurance Company posted a Twitter statement saying an employee had been fired after the company became aware of the individual’s “behavior in the video.” The statement does not identify the person by name.
The same Twitter account tweeted a statement from the CEO.
As the novel coronavirus pandemic rages on, states are still handling the public health crisis with varying guidelines and restrictions. While these mixed messages can certainly be confusing, we have received guidance from the World Health Organization, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on how to best protect yourself from COVID-19. Practicing social distancing, wearing a mask or face covering, and washing your hands frequently are some of the most common pieces of advice. Staying home when possible is also ideal. My colleague Mark Sumner has argued on behalf of a national mask-wearing mandate.
In Costco’s case, the president and CEO of the company, Craig Jelinek, noted in a statement back in May that while “some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable,” this is “not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too.” The store does provide exemptions for children under two years old, as well as people with certain medical conditions.
Of course, this is far from the first mask-related incident to happen amid the pandemic. For example, as my colleague Aysha Qamar covered, two men were caught on video breaking an employee’s arm after being asked to wear masks while in a Target. As my colleague Lauren Floyd covered, a security guard at a Dollar General store was shot and killed after asking a woman who tried to enter the store to wear a mask.