It seems Karen is all over America nowadays. In today's slang, Karen refers to an entitled woman who is referred to as a "Karen." It seems a lot of maskless Karens are showing up at supermarkets and stores that require a mask while in the middle of coronavirus pandemic.
People wearing face masks leave a supermarket, after the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia decided to make wearing protective masks obligatory in shops and public transportation to fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bad Honnef near Bonn, Germany, April 27, 2020.
Last month, a Karen entered a Starbucks store in California without the proper face covering, so one of the employees told her that he could not serve her coffee unless she put on a mask.
Instead of abiding the rule, she left the store and but her emotions on Facebook. She tried to get the employee fired but failed miserably as her post went viral with netizens siding with the employee.
Also, a woman who refused to put on a mask in Trader Joe's as she claimed to have a breathing problem was asked by an employee to leave the store. Also, another
Ya’ll I’ve found Karen of the San Fernando Valley #karen #KarensGoneWild #TraderJoes #noho #northhollywood #grandopening #coronaviris #COVID19 Follow this thread pic.twitter.com/V0vkAMgkHi — D. Giles (@ItsRellzWorld) June 27, 2020
Most recently, an old 'Karen' went viral as she threw tantrums on the floor like a child in Costco when she was asked to put a mask on.
As the store's policy requires a mask, an employee asked her to put on a mask. "I just need you to put that on for now while you're in the building. That's all," the employee told the woman. "Just temporarily while you're in here, and then you can take it right back off," she added.
New ‘Costco Karen’ Sighting —throws 3-yr-old type tantrum— sits on the floor and won’t leave because “this is America..” —tries to lie about medical condition then changes her mind ️ pic.twitter.com/GLDmPDnGar — ONLY iN LVNV ➐ (@OnlyInLVNV) July 2, 2020
When the woman responded to the simple request: "I will not," she was asked to leave. While the employee escorted her to the door, the woman, in the middle of the large warehouse, sat on the floor.
"Can I get you a chair? Outside? There's a place to sit," the employee asked the woman as she continues to courteously ask her to leave.
"I am an American. I have constitutional rights," the woman responded. The viral video published on Twitter by Only in LVNV already has more than 68,000 views and over 1,100 shares.
Why are masks required?
Last month, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that wearing masks give more freedom and protection against coronavirus. Since masks protect people from inhaling the virus, he added that it reduces the viral spread leading more places and stores to reopen.
According to the World Health Organization review on 172 studies from 16 countries and six continents, wearing a mask lowers the risk of transmitting coronavirus to 3.1%, compared to 17.4% for those without a face mask or an N95 respirator.
Medical experts said COVID-19 can be acquired through droplets from a coronavirus patient's speech, sneeze, or cough. However, an asymptomatic person may still transmit the disease.
Nowadays, scientists claim that coronavirus is now airborne, so masks may be more helpful than ever.
However, WHO said that using "a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection or source control." The agency also recommends utilizing other personal and community level measures to control the transmission of respiratory viruses." Thus, the review suggests that a physical distancing policy of at least one to two meters is also necessary.
