A woman faces criminal charges after police claimed that she deliberately coughed on $35,000 worth of food at a grocery store in Pennsylvania amidst novel coronavirus scare.
Upon entering the grocery store, the unnamed woman started coughing on produce, meat, bakery items, and merchandise as co-owner of Gerrity's Supermarket, Joe Fasula posted the incident on Facebook.
With cough as one of the primary ways to transmit the virus, Police Chief Albert Walker shared that the staff of Gerrity's quickly removed her from the store and reported the incident to the authority and hours later she found herself in the custody of the Hanover Township Police.
Once her mental health treatment is concluded, Hanover Township police will file criminal charges against her after intentionally contaminating the food.
Fasula also shared that the officials do not believe she is infected with coronavirus however they will secure that she will be tested.
Disappointed by the incident, Fasula stressed that it is always a shame when food is wasted and even more disturbing at these times when so many people are worried about the security of the food supply, after the store disposed $35,000 worth of supplies.
Terrorism charges may be filed to people who threaten to spread the virus
Intentionally spreading novel coronavirus could lead to terrorism charges as the Department of Justice affirmed it, Wednesday.
Taking the threats seriously, officials across the states are stopping every possible coronavirus scare that could happen, earlier this week, a man in New Jersey was charged with making 'terroristic threats' after police said he purposely coughed on a grocery store employee.
A 26-year-old man in Missouri was charged with making a terrorist threat after he was filmed licking sticks of deodorant and saying who's scared of coronavirus at a Walmart in early March.
Immature, tasteless and impulsive as described by the man's attorney, he claimed that the act happened before WHO or World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic and it should not work retroactively, converting an immature act to the criminal terrorist threat, emphasized by the lawyer.
The virus meets the criteria for a 'biological agent' and threatening to spread it or use COVID-19 as a weapon against Americans could constitute a terrorist threat, according to the memo of the Justice Department.
Grocery stores remain open amid pandemic
Deemed as essential businesses under the state's stay-at-home orders, stores like Gerrity's are one of the few public places residents can visit during the pandemic.
With the spike of customers visiting groceries, the store's management ensures the customers' safety by making sure to disinfect stores after closing, restocking supplies that sell out quickly, installing security cameras and hiring private guards to manage crowded aisles and jammed parking area.
Despite the incident in Gerrity's, Fasula shared that the only silver lining in the unfortunate incident is the opportunity to test their protocols and demonstrate how seriously they take safety and their employees' strict safety measures.