US woman 'purposely coughed' in young boy's face while waiting in line

The hunt is on for a woman alleged to have deliberately coughed in a young child's face in the US.

Mum Mireya Mora told CNN she was waiting in line at a yoghurt shop in San Jose, California, last Friday with her one-year-old son and her grandmother, when the incident took place.

She said the woman took issue with the apparent lack of social distancing and took her face-mask off before leaning down to cough two to three times in the little boy's face.

"It happened so quick, I was in shock," Ms Mora said.

"She purposely coughed on my son's face."

Ms Mora said she believed the woman might have been racially motivated, given she chose to target Ms Mora and her grandmother, both of whom are Hispanic, and ignored the white family standing before her in line.

The little boy had a slight fever after the coughing incident, Ms Mora said, but was on the mend and she was hopeful he would not contract COVID-19.

"If he were to get sick, I can't even imagine," she said.

Police are now seeking to charge the woman, believed to be aged in her 60s, with assault.

Coughing attacks

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, people around the world have been charged with deliberately coughing on somebody - including in Australia.

In April, a motorcyclist in Sydney's south was charged with a number of offences including coughing on and spitting at police.

Later that month, a 51-year-old woman allegedly claimed she had COVID-19 and coughed on a police officer after being arrested for spitting at a fast food shop employee in Sydney's south-west.

And a man in southern NSW was accused of deliberately coughing on noodle packets in a Wagga Wagga supermarket after being told he was not allowed to buy them all.

Not complying with COVID-19 health restrictions can net individuals an on-the-spot fine of thousands of dollars in Australia.

Depending on the jurisdiction, they can also be charged and even face prison time if found guilty.