Covidiots

Reuters reports: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday he caught the coronavirus and recovered “on his feet” without showing any symptoms, sounding a defiant tone as he addressed military leaders in Minsk. Lukashenko, 65, has resisted calls for strict lockdown measures to contain the pandemic, dismissing fears about COVID-19 as a “psychosis” and suggesting remedies such as drinking vodka, …

“Do not force me to wear a mask, it’s that simple. I’m not gonna do it, I’m not. The only time I comply is on the airlines because I actually need to fly the airlines to be able to do my job and travel the country so I can deliver truth to you and make an income and grow Turning …

Pew Research reports: Most Americans (71%) have heard of a conspiracy theory circulating widely online that alleges that powerful people intentionally planned the coronavirus outbreak. And a quarter of U.S. adults see at least some truth in it – including 5% who say it is definitely true and 20% who say it is probably true, according to a June Pew …

USA Today reports: A Minnesota man and woman who wore face masks with swastikas on them in an incident captured on video have been banned from Walmart stores nationwide for at least a year. The video, posted to Facebook on Saturday by Raphaela Mueller, shows a man and woman in a Walmart in Marshall, Minnesota, wearing red face coverings with …

Buffalo’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Mayville man is facing a list of charges after an incident inside a Chautauqua County bank last week. Officers from the Lakewood-Busti police department responded to a call of a disorderly person Wednesday, July 22 inside the Lakewood Keybank. When they got there they found Gerald Hewes, Jr. holding a bank employee up against …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Florida judge on Monday upheld a county’s coronavirus ordinance that requires masks be worn in public places like stores, saying government officials have the authority to protect their residents from the spread of infectious diseases. Circuit Judge John Kastrenakes, noting Palm Beach County’s recent spike in cases and deaths, rejected the challengers’ claim that …

The New York Post reports: Two New Jersey gyms owners who have repeatedly reopened in defiance of the state’s coronavirus lockdown have been arrested, police said Monday. Atilis Gym owners in Bellmawr— Ian Smith, 33, of Delanco Township, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, of Williamstown — were charged with contempt and violation of a disaster control act, according to the Camden …

The LAist reports: Mask-wearing has people on both sides of the issue expressing strong feelings. So when comedic YouTube duo Chad and JT recently tried literally giving masks away in Huntington Beach (with a healthy sense of humor), it touched a nerve. In their video, which has already garnered more than 1.7 million views since it was posted earlier this …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: The doors were locked. Rows of pews were taped off. The guests were arriving, as instructed, through a back door from an underground parking garage that led to the church interior. Then a city official crashed the wedding, which took place in early July in SS Peter and Paul’s Church.  The pastor did not seem …

The Minneapolis StarTribune reports: Just before noon Saturday, police officers in Marshall, Minn., were called to the town’s Walmart on a report that two shoppers were wearing masks emblazoned with swastikas. Another shopper, Raphaela Mueller, the vicar of a southwest Minnesota parish, filmed the swastika-wearing man and woman as they were confronted by others in the store. Then she posted …

The Christian Post reports: Pastor John MacArthur of California’s Grace Community Church announced that his church would continue to hold in-person services despite state-mandated restrictions banning in-person worship services. About two weeks after California indefinitely closed churches and other businesses in more than 30 of the state’s 58 counties as part of its response to the coronavirus, author and theologian …

Reuters reports: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after weeks quarantined in his residence due to an infection. In a photo posted to social media, Bolsonaro appeared with a box of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he credited for his recovery despite a lack of scientific evidence about its effectiveness. In …

The New York Post reports: New Jersey can flex its muscle over a gym that has repeatedly defied the state’s coronavirus orders, a judge ruled Friday. Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has the authority to close the business, the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, after it openly flouted the governor’s executive order that they remain shuttered during the pandemic. Ian Smith, one …

The South Florida SunSentinel reports: The man seen in surveillance video pulling a gun in Walmart during a debate over COVID-19 masks has been arrested. Vincent Bruce Scavetta, of Lake Worth Beach, faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a firearm. He was seen on video pulling a handgun from his waistband after another …

Newsweek reports: A video posted on Twitter on shows a plane full of people clapping as a woman is asked to leave an American Airlines flight due to not having the appropriate face covering. In the footage, the woman is seen removing her bags from the overhead bins as passengers are seated and ready to depart. All passengers and crew …

From Franklin Graham’s Facebook page: On Sunday the media reported that 600,000 people had died from coronavirus worldwide. That’s a tragic number that should concern all of us and prompt us to take precautions. I feel for each of the grieving families that have lost loved ones to this virus. However, we must also keep the number in perspective and …

Global News reports: Quebec’s mandatory mask rule in public indoor spaces went into effect on Saturday and not everything is going as smoothly as many thought or planned. Sandra Bourgoin posted a video on Facebook Saturday afternoon of a man in a local Montreal Tim Hortons being asked to wear a mask by a police officer. In the now-viral video, …

Sacramento’s CBS News affiliate reports: We’ve seen a lot of confrontations involving masks, including verbal fights, physical altercations and even coughing fits. But this one might top it all when a regular day at work turned into quite a show at the Verizon store off Galleria Boulevard in Roseville. In a 911 call, you hear a dispatch operator tell an …

Seattle’s NBC News affiliate reports: A man allegedly pulled a gun on another customer over being asked to wear a face mask at a Fred Meyer in Tumwater this week, according to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office. According to court documents, the man arrested, who has not yet been charged, is accused of pulling a gun on another customer who …

The Hill reports: A Louisiana man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly running a car into a police officer who had asked him to wear a mask while inside of a Walmart. Ricky Taylor, 64, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting an officer and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer, according to a West Monroe …