Victoria Police have issued another fine to a man who refused to follow the latest province-wide COVID-19 regulations, implemented earlier this month.
In a police report issued on Monday, VicPD says that a man was fined $230 dollars over the weekend after he became “belligerent” with staff at a downtown restaurant.
Police did not disclose where the incident took place, but CHEK News has learned it occurred at Cafe Mexico, in the city’s downtown and has obtained security footage showing the incident.
Kelsey Mitchell, the restaurant’s general manager, told CHEK News the incident began after a group came into the building without wearing masks.
“We provided them with masks, they seemed to laugh at us as if it was a joke but complied at that moment, we had them seated. Each time they went to the washroom they refused to wear a mask, holding it in their hand, finding that the request be some kind of joke,” she said.
Mitchell said one man who refused to wear a mask when not seated at his assigned booth, later became belligerent, began swearing at staff and even threatened her.
“He cocked his fist back at me and lunged at me multiple times, swearing at me calling me derogatory terms saying what are you going to do little girl?”
According to the VicPD report, the man also “coughed in an exaggerated manner” at staff while leaving the restaurant.
Mitchell eventually called the police, who detained the man outside of Cafe Mexico and issued him a $230 violation ticked for abusive or belligerent behaviour in a PHO identified premise.
Under current provincial health officer orders, masks are required to be worn by everyone, except for those with certain health conditions or physical or mental impairments, inside public indoor settings, including when not seated at a table at a restaurant. Failure to comply can result in a $230 ticket.
However, Mitchell doesn’t believe it is enough.
“I feel that a speeding ticket essentially is not enough, for the people that work in the community that works in restaurants this is not an uncommon story. I am not the first one to deal with this and that itself at its core is the reason is a big problem,” she said, adding. “People don’t think that they’re going to serve any consequences for their actions.”
CHEK News
