A video taken and posted by a Toronto woman is sparking outrage online.
Letitia Montana entered the emergency department at St. Joseph’s Hospital for a “suspected broken finger,” according to the Twitter post she shared.
Went into the Emergency Dept. at St Joseph’s Hospital in #Toronto for a suspected broken finger. I was asked to wear a mask, which I refused to do. As a result, hospital staff asked me to leave and immediately called 3 security guards to escort me out. #filmyourhospital pic.twitter.com/7KlDa11udk
— Letitia Montana (@LetitiaMontana) July 5, 2020
The only problem is that Montana was not wearing a face mask, and refused to put one on.
She chose to film the incident, where she can be heard asking the nurse if she will be denied service for not wearing a mask.
The nurse replies, ”that is correct.”
Montana said that after the recorded exchange, the hospital staff told her to leave and called three security guards to escort her out of the building.
The video has over five million views, and has resulted in many people sharing their views on the woman’s actions, including from Ben Stiller.
Wear a mask in a hospital if they ask you. Just like those surgeons when they operate. Hospital workers are not propaganda believers. They are trained medical professionals. All the best.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) July 5, 2020
Translation- “I don’t care about you or anyone else but you better care about me” https://t.co/xzlySmwY64
— Michael Ford (@MichaelFordTO) July 5, 2020
Glad to see the hospital I trained at has their priorities straight:
— Michelle Cohen, MD (@DocMCohen) July 5, 2020
✅protecting vulnerable patients from those who think infection control doesn't apply to them
✅enforcing health privacy regulations by not letting you film a hospital
Montana has since defended her actions, saying that, “I will not endanger my own life or that of my son to comply to the demands of some politicians.”
“How easy it is for some of you to judge,” she said. “The few times I put a mask on I could hardly breathe especially with the hot summer heat. This has led me to do research on them and what I learned from the science is that they do compromise your health in more ways than one.”
Toronto has implemented a bylaw that makes face coverings mandatory in all indoor spaces, starting Tuesday.
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