A video circulating on social media shows an unmasked man in a Metro Vancouver grocery store who was allegedly spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
The video, which was taken at a Langley Superstore and shared by @adhdwitch on TikTok last week, shows an unmasked man standing in line behind a woman in an olive-coloured coat. While the woman in front of him pays for and bags her groceries, he turns his attention toward the woman filming the video.
"We were having a discussion. Why are you videotaping?" the man asks the person recording.
"Are you a Nazi?"
The woman writes in her TikTok video that she was filming the encounter because the man was "spouting [vaccine] misinformation" and telling a healthcare worker that she didn't have the correct information. She adds that she was "terrified" while recording it and that the health care worker was "visibly unsettled."
Toward the end of the video, the man asks the woman filming: "Are you dead yet?"
"We have no tolerance for behaviour like this"
A spokesperson for Loblaw, the parent company of Real Canadian Superstore, tells Vancouver Is Awesome that the company is "disturbed" by the incident and regrets that customers were made to feel unsafe in the store.
"We’re reviewing with store management, as well as our Operations Team, to ensure incidents like this are de-escalated and the proper steps are taken to protect our customers and colleagues.
"We have no tolerance for behaviour like this and we would therefore urge this customer to shop elsewhere."
Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy tells V.I.A. that the incident has been reported and is under investigation.
@adhdwitch Langley BC, Superstore. I'm still shaking.
♬ F Boy - Ander Huang & DJ Kuromi
Masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces in B.C.
In November 2020, B.C.'s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry leveraged the Emergency Act to mandate all staff and customers wear masks at indoor retail outlets.
The measure includes all corridors, elevators and common areas. However, it does not apply to food service areas or when someone is eating or drinking.
--With a file from the Tri-City News
