US woman sentenced to two years in prison for coughing on food worth Rs 25 lakh

The coronavirus pandemic is still ravaging the world, with the Delta variant being a special cause for concern globally. While most people are trying to prevent the spread of the deadly virus by wearing masks and getting vaccinated, a large number still refuse to believe in the risk and follow COVID-19 norms. Authorities have framed strict rules to keep the virus naysayers from breaking the rules, often imposing huge fines on them, as 38-year-old Margaret Ann Cirko from Pennsylvania discovered. In March last year, Cirko, who does not believe in the virus, deliberately coughed on food in a supermarket. After coughing and spitting on the food, the woman claimed she had tested positive for the virus. She was later escorted out by security. A coronavirus test revealed that Cirko was negative. However, her stunt led to severe consequences. She was sentenced to two years in prison and asked to refund the store for the food she had deliberately contaminated. The total value of the food destroyed by Cirko amounted to $35,000 or Rs 25 lakh. Cirko claimed that she was drunk at the time of the incident and apologised for her behaviour. The court accepted her apology but refused to remit her sentence. According to the court, Cirko would have to spend two years in prison and eight years on probation after that. She was also ordered to pay about $30,000 to the supermarket. This is not the first time that anti-maskers and virus deniers have been in the news. In March this year, a woman coughed on an Uber driver after she was asked to wear a mask in the cab. The video of the incident, which shows the woman and her two friends berating the driver for asking them to mask up, went viral on social media. The woman was later arrested and charged by the police on a number of counts, including violating the city’s health laws and assault and battery.