face mask toronto

These people really didn't want to wear a mask in 2020

No doubt 2020 will go down as one of the oddest and most difficult in recent memory, and while many people took health measures in stride, there were those who just couldn't handle them.

When the pandemic started to sweep across Canada, officials first advised against wearing a mask to protect against the virus. This may have been due, in part, to a fear over hoarding medical N95 masks.

But as more information came on the virus, officials changed their messaging in May. In June and July masks became mandatory in all public indoor spaces.

Of course, there are exceptions for people who medically can't wear a mask.

However, no sooner did the rules come in effect, so did the protests — and the freak-outs.

One of the most spectacular tantrums came from a shopper at a Mississauga T&T Supermarket after employees asked him to wear a mask while shopping. A video went viral of the man shouting a racist tirade at staff.

He claimed to have asthma after staff asked him to wear a mask. He then shouted the virus came China and asked staff where they are from.

"Go back to China where you came from," he shouted.

A few weeks later, another video surfaced of yet another white man yelling at staff at the Absolute Dollar store in Gerrard Square Shopping Centre.

The man claims to have a medical condition that prevents him from wearing a face covering but he doesn't appear to be calm enough to actually produce the documents.

It is unclear if a man who wore a paper bag with two eye holes to the No Frills was protesting mask-wearing or just needed to quickly fashion something to cover his face. Nevertheless, the man drew attention when he proceeded through the store at Runnymede and Bloor. This incident didn’t inspire rage.

"It was hilarious," said Anna Oplocki who snapped photos of the man. "I was impressed that he had fitted the bag to his shoulders and perfectly fit his sunglasses on the inside."

In an odd incident in July the tables were turned. Instead of a person refusing to wear a mask, a man at a Pizza Pizza on the Queens Quay flips out because another customer is not wearing a mask. This man pushes over a display case in anger while the customer in question calmly takes his order and leaves.

Ironically, the angry man is not wearing his own mask properly.

As cases of COVID-19 continue to spike, protests against masks continue. A Santa Claus parade full of people protesting the lockdown and masks was held in December.

It seems as long as there are restrictions, there will be people fighting against them.

Lead photo by

Firenze Yeung


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