Face mask disagreement sparks shouting match at Walmart in NorCal
After a man asked why a woman entered the store without a mask, others joined in to say "stay home if you're so scared" and "you're making yourself sick by wearing the mask."
MARTINEZ, Calif. -- A shouting match was caught on camera in a Martinez Walmart after a man questioned why a woman entered the store without wearing a face mask.
A man filmed the tense encounter with fellow shoppers on July 19, which he said was sparked after he asked one of them why she came into the store without a mask on.
On July 15, Walmart announced a policy requiring customers to wear masks while in-store. However, Walmart said the policy would not be enforced until July 20 to give it time to "inform customers and members of the changes, post signage and train associates on the new protocols."
In the video shot by Brian Campbell-Miller, he is in a queue behind a woman and her two children, none of whom are wearing a mask.
The woman tells Campbell-Miller, "we would all be wearing the same mask if it mattered."
The quickly-escalating situation gained the attention of two other women, who were also not wearing masks.
"Stay home if you're so scared," one said, moments before accusing Campbell-Miller of destroying "this country." Another calls him "Antifa" and aims the word "brainwash" at him.
The first woman can be heard later telling another customer with children that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that "children should not be wearing masks." According to the CDC, this guidance is true for children under two.
She also tells the man, "you're making yourself sick by wearing the mask."
As of July 21, the United States had the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths globally, with the John Hopkins University coronavirus tracker recording a total 140,909 fatalities.
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