{"id":7406,"date":"2021-06-03T17:06:20","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T09:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=7406"},"modified":"2022-03-23T10:52:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T02:52:00","slug":"covid-19-exist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/covid-19-exist\/","title":{"rendered":"Unmasked Customer Tells Staff COVID-19 Doesn’t Exist, Gets Fined For Flouting Safety Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unmasked customer says COVID-19 doesn\u2019t exist<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Less than 2 months ago, Saigon was hailed for its success in the battle against the COVID-19 outbreaks with zero community cases by mid-April. Since then, the city has reached 277 cases with daily community infections.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some blame the church members of the latest cluster for worsening the outbreak, there’s no denying that others have also skirted safety rules and regulations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Case in point, an unmasked customer spotted in a convenience store in Ho Chi Minh City on 31st May. She refused to mask up when asked to by the store staff, citing her <\/span>disbelief in the existence of the coronavirus<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, there was a price to pay for her refusal to adhere to the protocol for her own safety.<\/p>\n

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She refused to wear a mask for her own safety<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"COVID-19
\nShe had an altercation with police officers<\/em>
\nImage credit: PLO<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On 31st May 2021, a lady and her child walked into a Circle K+ store<\/a> on Ton Dan Street, Ward 13, District 4 at around 11.45PM.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The store staff advised her to put a mask on before they could carry out any transaction with her, Phap Luat<\/a><\/em> reports.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she refused to heed their advice, the store staff had to deny her service, as per COVID-19 health protocols.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling offended, she was up in arms and the store staff had to seek local police intervention.<\/span><\/p>\n

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She proclaimed that COVID-19 doesn\u2019t exist<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"COVID-19
\nShe was taken into a police van by force<\/em>
\nImage credit: Nguoi Lao Dong<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

When policemen arrived at the scene and asked her to mask up, the stubborn customer got more agitated and raised her voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the cameraman, she hurled insults at law enforcement officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I say there is no pandemic, it means there\u2019s no pandemic. Why do you force me to put a mask on when I\u2019m all healthy?\u201d she said loudly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several passers-by standing nearby were heard replying to her rant, \u201cHow can you say that there\u2019s no pandemic? The whole country is battling cases of infections.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

However, the lady continued her rant, denying that the pandemic was a real thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fined for breaching COVID-19 regulations and disorderly conduct<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Law enforcement officers appear to have tried to convince her to heed health protocols, but to no avail.<\/span><\/p>\n

So they took her to the police station by force. Frightened at the sight, her daughter burst into tears and was consoled by passers-by.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Phap Luat<\/em><\/span><\/a>, the lady was fined <\/span>VND2,000,000 (~USD86.87)<\/b> for breaching COVID-19 rules and <\/span>VND350,000 (~USD15.20) <\/b>for disorderly conduct.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Customer denies COVID-19 exists when asked to mask up<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Since late May, authorities have placed Saigon under <\/span>citywide social distancing<\/span><\/a> to curb the spread of the virus.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have seen virus-linked death tolls<\/a>, meaning that <\/span>COVID-19<\/span> is certainly not a conspiracy theory or a figment of anyone’s imagination.<\/span><\/p>\n

The more people fail to take tightened measures seriously, the longer it takes for us to bring the number of infections down to a manageable level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the idea of masking up to defend ourselves from something invisible is inconvenient, we should heed the protocols set by the government. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s OK to dislike wearing a mask, but we think it\u2019s still more comfortable than wearing a ventilator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check out:<\/span><\/p>\n