Woman Banned and Kicked out of Trader Joe's for Not Wearing a Face Mask, Suffers Sore Throat 1 Week Later

A woman who was kicked out of a Los Angeles area Trader Joe's location for not wearing a face mask and later banned from the chain is now suffering from a sore throat, one of the many coronavirus symptoms. It was just last week that Genevieve Peters enjoyed some unfavorable viral fame after she shared a video of an altercation she had with an employee at the store over the fact of refusing to wear a proper face covering, something that is required in the city of Los Angeles.

In the clip, recorded on Peters' phone and shared to YouTube, Peters explained in the caption that she had been kicked out of the store for refusing to wear a mask and had again been denied entry when she attempted to enter using her shirt as a mask. An employee later told her "she still couldn't let [her] in because she couldn't guarantee [Peters] would hold [her] shirt up." According to Peters, "the 'guard' refused to open the door until I had a mask on." The altercation came to a head when one employee called 911 on Peters, who justified her decision not to don the required article by stating that she was "uncomfortable wearing a mask" and that it was "unhealthy" for her. She added that she didn't "want to breathe my own CO2," as there is "so much research that says we actually are in danger of having this mask, of breathing my own CO2."

Although Peters eventually left the store after a tense 20-minute-long confrontation, she revealed in a Thursday update that she was experiencing a sore throat and irritation of her lymph nodes, symptoms that she said lasted for less than 24 hours. In the video, Peters said she chose to reveal her symptoms because she "knew I had zero fear that I will be a statistic on the Covid-19." Acknowledging that she could contract the coronavirus in the future, she added that "anyone could get it, right? I mean, it's like the flu. I've had the flu many times in my life. But I've survived it."

Peters went on to state that she had "zero panic" over the symptoms that she experienced and that she "wanted to show that if you start feeling symptoms, there is zero panic," adding that "healthy people can get sick… It doesn't mean the end." She also explained that all she "had to do was boost my immune system" after she began feeling sick, and she said that anyone linking her symptoms to coronavirus was promoting "a FRAUD that is being perpetrated on the American People."

It is unclear if Peters was tested for the coronavirus or not. Her incident at Trader Joe's marks just the latest example of conflict regarding the wearing of face masks and coverings. Although such protective equipment is not required in most cities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that people wear a face mask or covering when in public settings, such as grocery stores.