Karen in Trader Joe's

Her capacity for breathing seems to be just fine during her tirade.

Medical experts tell us that there are a very few conditions that make wearing a mask problematic but alternatives do exist, as have been discussed in other threads on this subject and are easily found through a Google search. Anyone with a respiratory problem severe enough to make mask-wearing more than problematic should be sheltering in place except for the most essential trips outside the home; asking others to grocery shop and run errands for them; and practicing social distancing whenever trips outside the home are absolutely necessary. Are these ideal conditions for day-to-day life? As someone with late-stage COPD who is oxygen dependent 24/7 and 99% house-bound, I can tell you they are not. But they may well save my life, and yours, if this protocol is faithfully followed. I sincerely hope you will search out alternatives to masks so that you may protect yourself as well as others. For some reason--selfishness, I would guess--most Americans seem not to understand that mask wearing works two ways: it protects (to the extent possible) the wearer but also those who come in contact with the wearer. Finally, if your medical condition is this severe, I find it odd that your doctor isn't advising you about masking. Having said all this, I suspect r1 has hit the nail on the head.

Exactly R1, anyone with a respiratory issue wouldn't be shouting at the top of their lungs AND not be breathless at the same time.

Updat...Karen claims she was harassed by a Ken.

I have to say that I do find masks can make breathing a bit difficult but I persevere anyway. I have had asthma since I was a young child and do not want to risk catching Covid. If you do have a health issue you do everything you can to protect yourself as would this woman if she did truly have a problem.

OP goes shopping at Trader Joe's with Hitler:

I have to wear it all day at work. This bitch can wear it for 20 minutes indoors to do her shopping.

[quote] Anyone with a respiratory problem severe enough to make mask-wearing more than problematic should be sheltering in place

Period.

And if that person has suddenly lost his/ her job and cannot afford to pay for delivery, or lives alone and has no one who can shop for them, then what?

R9 my next door app has a lot of neighbors offering to shop for shut ins.

R10, good for you. Not everyone lives in a community where neighbors look out for each other or have the time to worry about anyone else's problems but their own. It's rather presumptuous of you to assume otherwise.

Well, she did call the store before going there to ask if she could shop without a mask. The manager agreed that she could. Unfortunately, she mistakenly ended up at the Hollywood Trader Joe's rather than the Taluca Lake store. So, she then got permission from the Hollywood store manager, who also agreed for this one day only. She said she has a breathing problem. It may have helped her case if she said what her breathing problem is. However, her story changes or gets embellished when she starts talking about being harassed by another man while shopping.

She very well may have a breathing problem, particularly since she went through the trouble of calling the store before going there. However, she lost all credibility by her screaming and yelling behavior. Perhaps if store managers are going to grant an excuse to shoppers for not wearing a mask, then the shopper should have to wear an appropriate and tasteful sign around the shopper's neck so that other shopper's can see that an individual shopper has been granted a temporary reprieve from wearing a mask. The shopper should also be required to produce a medical note from a doctor (initially shown to the store manager) stating the breathing problem since you can't have everybody walking into the store saying they have a breathing problem without proof. Lastly, what breathing could a person have that a paper mask would impair? Some breathing problems may be legitimate, but It seems some of these "breathing problem" people may be exaggerating their condition.

People who make scenes in stores like this lady did, are 100% garbage. Hope whatever 'condition' she has, has also rendered her sterile.

I didn't presume anything R11. What's got your panties in a wad?

Looking at where she works giving facials and massages, ALL employees are expected to wear masks while performing their duties, as well as the customers. She doesn't have a breathing problem. From their website:

This woman breaks it down.

This is bullshit. This woman is bullshit. The mask wearing is bullshit.

I have multiple health issues, & I can't wear a mask/face covering. There is supposed to be a disability exemption where I am, but it's impossible to enforce because the adjudication process is so long, it effectively denies you your rights. The only thing you can do is get an emergency injunction, but you need means for that. I don't have that, & neither do most marginalized people who can't wear one. The CLUs are afraid to touch it because of the political fall-out, & they are more into "woke" issues that this.

I talked to a couple of medical people who think it's bullshit, too. According to them, the data/variables used in the modelling give different results for different areas. So, when a local health board uses them to justify a mandatory order, it's meaningless unless they are similar data & location. Cities with extreme urban density, & third-world conditions, where sanitation/distancing are difficult are going to benefit more from mask wearing. Also important is community spread & contact tracing. That, distancing & sanitation are fine in most cases.

If you allow for disability exemption, which you have to here (Ontario) by law, that makes it impossible to enforce. We are not as affected as the US, & some regions are well out of it (R0 under 1 or 2, etc.) At that point, normalizing mask use without mandate will give you the same protection. Instead, local PHUs are totally fucking up the law, the messaging & totally politicizing the office. All the BLM rallies they allowed, the non-enforcement of gathering restrictions & not quarantining Covid+ homeless drug users did more damage than disabled people like me will ever do by doing some of our errands sans masks.

[quote] She very well may have a breathing problem, particularly since she went through the trouble of calling the store before going there.

We don’t know that she did. Unless the manager of the Hollywood store steps forward and says she did, I’m going with her lying, much like her “breathing problem.”

[quote] I have multiple health issues, & I can't wear a mask/face covering. The only thing you can do is get an emergency injunction

No, what you could do is wear a face shield. Nothing is over your mouth yet you’re still protecting others.

Thank you, R2, for your calm, reasonable response and explanation.

r18 no I can't. And read up on this. It's become politicized now so medical people/researchers are afraid to say anything in public. There are a few who will, but they're a minority due to the politics.

I would think wearing a mask would actually improve any underlying breathing conditions, since it filters out pollution in the air. Yes it's uncomfortable, but people are confusing discomfort with "I can't I have a condition".

R20, so you can’t wear a mask because it ostensibly obstructs your breathing. And you can’t wear a face shield which is nowhere near your mouth because that, what, obstructs your breathing too?

Sounds like you just don’t want to.

R20 sounds like some troll making up shit. It's all so vague. Why not tell us exactly what the fuck the problem is, troll? Why can't you wear a mask? What specifically have you done to obtain an exemption? Why specifically was it denied?

It's a troll who is full of shit.

These fucking assholes, it's All About Them. Everybody else is just going about their day and minding their own business when these self-absorbed pieces of shit have to create unnecessary drama. They're garbage.

[quote]then the shopper should have to wear an appropriate and tasteful sign around the shopper's neck

How about a scarlet K?

What's the big deal about putting on a mask for fifteen fucking minutes? I don't get why this is such an issue with people.

R27, because they want to have their way no matter what, and up until recently, they always got their way.