Covidiots

ABC News reports: A controversial South Korean pastor tested positive for COVID-19 after participating in an anti-government mass rally on Saturday that drew tens of thousands of people in calling for the ouster of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Health authorities have warned against outdoor gatherings for fear of spreading the virus but many worshippers of the Sarang Jeil Church …

The Christian Post reports: Holding indoor services once again in defiance of California’s COVID-19 lockdown orders, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church on Sunday told his congregation, “We are holding church … because our Lord commands it.” The megachurch met hours after an appeals court blocked a ruling that had allowed it to meet for worship. “They don’t want …

The Christian Post reports: Pastor John MacArthur, whose Grace Community Church had been holding in-person services in violation of the state’s COVID-19 health orders, is celebrating a California court’s vindication of their right to hold indoor worship with no cap on attendance or a ban on singing. While Los Angeles County was seeking a restraining order to stop the pastor …

Michigan Live reports: It is an event that has drawn hundreds of participants in recent years to float down the St. Clair River along the United States and Canadian border. But it’s an event that U.S. and Canadian police are strongly urging people to avoid this year. The 2020 version of the 7.5-mile unsanctioned Port Huron Float Down on Sunday, …

Earlier this week Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis and a far-right Christian legal group sued the state of California, Los Angeles County, and state officials over the lockdown. Today Los Angeles County sued back: The complaint against Grace Community Church was filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. “The County took this action reluctantly, after working with the church …

The Austin Statesman reports: Austin police have arrested a man who a North Austin grocery store says broke all of the business’ windows after an employee asked him to wear a mask. Police on Thursday told the American-Statesman that they had arrested 31-year-old Wayne Ayres in connection to the vandalism at Fresh Plus Grocer in Hyde Park. The store manager …

Gothamist reports: A group of over 1,500 gym owners from across the state, including at least 500 located in New York City, have filed a class action lawsuit against Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York state, and the state attorney general in an attempt to force the state to allow them to reopen. The businesses involved in the suit include CrossFit, …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday withdrew his lawsuit challenging the city of Atlanta’s mask mandate and coronavirus restrictions, ending a legal feud between the Republican governor and the Democratic leader of the state’s capital city over how to contain the pandemic. Kemp said he will instead sign an executive order Saturday that is expected to specify …

Blog Toronto reports: The story of how two blood-covered, chainsaw-wielding men came to terrorize the public at Toronto’s Cherry Beach on Sunday morning just keeps on getting weirder as witnesses come forward with additional details. Members of the anti-lockdown group MAD (Mothers Against Distancing) say that the two men wielding chainsaws destroyed roughly $4,000 worth of DJ equipment that had …

The Ocala Star-Banner reports: As the city of Ocala wrestles with an ordinance requiring face coverings for people inside businesses, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told his employees they will not wear masks at work and visitors to his office can’t wear masks either. Woods, in an email dated Aug. 11, said “my order will stand as is when you …

NewJersey.com reports: A borough council in Camden County voted Tuesday to rescind the business license of a gym that has repeatedly defied a state order to close its doors under coronavirus restrictions. The Bellmawr council voted 5 to 1 to rescind the mercantile license of Atilis Gym after an hour-long hearing that featured comments from the gym owners’ attorney, the …

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch reports: More than 40 members of a family tested positive for coronavirus after an infected relative from another state attended a funeral. Polly Williams, who resides on Jenny’s Creek in Wayne County, West Virginia, was saddened to hear of the death June 30 of her relative who lived in Alabama. Little did she realize the circumstances surrounding …

TMZ reports: A man was carried from a Tucson grocery store by his grown son while threatening to beat other customers over the wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, screaming that they were “A bunch of pussies wearing masks!” as he was carried off by his own child. In yet another viral video of a …

Philadelphia’s NBC News affiliate reports: A man punched a 17-year-old Sesame Place employee in the face after the teen reminded him to wear a mask, police said. A teen employee told an unidentified man and woman that they were required to wear masks while in the park due to COVID-19. Later that day, around 5 p.m., the same man confronted …

Yahoo News reports: After a fight over wearing a mask at a DMV went viral earlier in the week, a local Ohio “Karen” is back at it again — this time at Planet Fitness. Anna Peric feels extremely passionately about masks and wants to world to know it. She was filmed berating a Planet Fitness manager because she has limited …

Fox News reports: A man in Washington state was arrested Saturday and charged with assault after allegedly breaking the jaw of a 72-year-old disabled veteran in a hotel lobby in a dispute over coronavirus masks. Cody P. Hansen, 35, [photo] was arrested at his home in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday after police received an anonymous tip. He has been charged …

NPR reports: When it comes to the new rules for the novel coronavirus, airlines like Delta are taking them very seriously. So far, the carrier has banned 100 anti-maskers from taking their flights and gone a step further by adding them to a “no fly” list. The legal reasoning is pretty straightforward, says Sharona Hoffman, co-director of Case Western Reserve …

Law & Crime reports: Anti-mask activists pretending to be federal agents are violating federal law, according to a former federal prosecutor. A viral video of people purporting to be affiliated with the so-called “Freedom to Breathe Agency” (FTBA) has been viewed several million times since being cross-posted from TikTok to Twitter on Friday. “We are with FTBA, the Freedom to …

The Associated Press reports: The city of Las Vegas has issued a civil penalty against a hotel for hosting a faith-based campaign event for President Donald Trump that violated a mandate intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 despite warnings from city and state officials. The event proceeded as planned Thursday in Las Vegas despite Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak’s mandate, …

Miami’s ABC News reports: Early Friday, Plantation police were parked outside of 1440 Fitness, letting members know the gym is closed and for now they’ll have to work out somewhere else. The gym’s owner Mike Carnevale’s spent Thursday night in Broward County jail over his refusal to enforce the use of face masks inside his business. This is the third …