When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the United States, we were told that it was not necessary to wear face masks, but over time, the CDC changed their recommendations. Now, it is recommended that everyone wears a non-medical face covering when in a public setting such as a grocery store, restaurant or other place where social distancing can become difficult.

Face coverings seem to be the fashion statement of the pandemic. While you can choose to wear a store bought disposable face covering, many people have taken to making their own face coverings out of everything from t-shirts to napkins. Even if you can’t sew, it’s easy to make a face covering in just a few minutes with items you probably already have at home. Basically, there’s no excuse not to have a face covering on hand.

One Costco shopper, a man named Garrett, entered the store without a face covering, and it seems that he was in the store for a fair amount of time before being confronted by an employee about his lack of face covering. Like at many stores, it is currently part of Costco’s policy that customers and employees must wear face coverings while inside the store.

When an employee, a man named Tison, told Garrett that he needed to wear a face covering or leave the store, Garrett responded by turning on the video camera function on his phone and saying that he was going to share this “on my 3,000-follower Instagram feed.”

Without missing a beat, Tison looked directly at the camera and said, “Hi, everyone. I work for Costco, and I’m asking this member to wear a mask because that is our company policy.”

Garrett continued to refuse to wear a face covering because “he woke up in a free country.” He seemed completely astounded that Tison actually took his cart away from him and told him he needed to leave the store.

Watch the video below to see the entire interaction between Garrett and Tison.

Garrett explained that he had been self isolating in his home for 2 months before going to Costco. He also said that he did not have the coronavirus, and that he thinks people who wear masks at Costco are “sheep.”

Meanwhile, the video has gone viral but did not have the reaction that Garrett expected. Instead, viewers are siding with Tison. As one Twitter user commented, “‘I won’t put on a mask because I woke up in a free country today.’ Did you wake up owning Costco? No? Then put on a mask or get out of the store.” Another comment reads, “I wish people understood that their ‘freedum’ doesn’t give them the right to do whatever they want on private property.”

However you feel about face masks, company policy is company policy, and Tison did a great job doing, well, his job. As Tison said in a Twitter comment, “People of Twitter, thank you for all of the support. I was just trying to protect our employees and our members.”

Do you think Tison did the right thing by taking away Garrett’s shopping cart? Do you think people should be allowed to shop at Costco without a face covering?

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