Woman sworn at and attacked by mob in supermarket for not wearing a mask
A US woman was swarmed by a mob of grocery shoppers screaming at her for neglecting to wear a face mask.
In a video posted to Facebook, the New York woman was shopping for food when a group of fellow grocers hounded her down the aisles, swearing and yelling furiously.
The crowd gathered around the unmasked woman, calling her a "loser" and commanding her to "get the f--k out" of the ShopRite supermarket.
The woman did not wear a mask in the ShopRite supermarket in Staten Island. Facebook
One man yelled after the woman, labelling her a "dirty a-- pig!" while a female customer chimes in with a similar taunt.
The mob is filmed following the woman down the aisle, pointing at the exit and hurling abuse at her.
At one point, the group splinters off, as four masked individuals continue to shout at the woman as she continues her shopping.
The anonymous woman attempts to respond to the mob, but is drowned out by the group.
Four people followed the unmasked woman down the aisle to hurl more abuse. Facebook
The vicious video surfaced after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered residents of the state to wear a mask at all times when out in public.
"Stopping the spread is everything," Mr. Cuomo said during a daily briefing in Albany.
"How can you not wear a mask when you're going to come close to a person?"
After surfacing on Reddit, the video was re-posted by Facebook user, Christine Lynn, who captioned it: "what happens in Staten Island when you don't wear a mask in Shoprite!"
"How can you not wear a mask when you're going to come close to a person?" Getty
It has since circulated and divided social media users for its aggressive content.
"Ok, after watching this, I made sure I had my mask," commented one Facebook user.
"Why is everyone so angry? They're wearing masks after all, aren't they safe?" questioned another.
Other users took the opportunity to shame the mob's antics.
"Working in a supermarket has shown me how ugly people can be," one user remarked.
Wearing a mask in public is highly recommended in the state of New York. Facebook
"Just another reason and excuse for animals to be animals," said another.
Supermarkets have become an epicentre for tension amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A video previously surfaced of a man licking toiletries in an attempt to mock the spread of the deadly virus.
Man films himself licking toiletries in supermarket amid coronavirus crisis Snapchat
The man audibly remarked "Who's scared of coronavirus?" before tracing his tongue along bottles of shampoos, shaving cream canisters and household items.
In Australia, knife brawls and physical fights also erupted in the aisles of supermarkets as the onslaught of panic-buying heightened anxiety among shoppers.
Coronavirus has had a particularly devastating impact on the state of New York, with the highest number of recorded deaths in America.
There are currently 1,706,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States.
