Nassau, BAHAMAS-A man who removed his mask and deliberately coughed in a bank has been jailed.
Police arrested Tony Pierre Juste after he caused a panic at the Oakes Field branch of Commonwealth Bank on April 17.
The 20-year-old came into the bank to cash two cheques.
Juste removed his mask for the teller to verify his identity. But he refused to put it back on after the teller told him he couldn’t get the money until the cheques cleared.
The court heard that Juste coughed repeatedly while at the teller’s wicket without covering his mouth.
Juste also went to the refreshment stand at the bank and coughed over the food.
When the teller asked if he was okay, he replied, “I’m contagious.”
The woman told police, “I became in fear of my life due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The teller’s supervisor also became afraid when she heard Juste claim he was contagious, the court heard.
The bank’s surveillance footage confirmed the witnesses’ accounts.
Bank staff called police after Juste left.
Police called him to the station and arrested him on arrival.
He admitted to coughing without wearing a face covering. However, Juste told police that he coughed because he was eating crackers.
Juste pleaded guilty to a charge of causing public terror.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes sentenced him to one month in prison.
Masks mandatory in public
In order to reduce the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, all residents are required to wear masks in public.
Businesses can face fines for permitting customers inside without the protective coverings.
However, banks require customers to briefly remove their masks so the security cameras can capture their faces and to verify ID.
In addition to the mask requirement, residents must maintain a distance of at least six feet.
As of today, there were 65 confirmed coronavirus cases, with nine deaths. Worldwide there are 2.5 million cases, with 174,336 deaths.
They telling the public to wear mask and some of the staff of food store is not wearing them