Woman jailed for up to 2 years for coughing on supermarket groceries claiming she had Covid
A Pennsylvania woman, who pleaded guilty to coughing and spitting on food at a supermarket during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, was on Tuesday given a jail term up to two years followed by eight years of probation.
Margaret Ann Cirko, 37, had entered a Gerrity's supermarket in Hanover township on 25 March last year and purposely coughed on food while screaming that she had the coronavirus and that everyone would get sick, authorities said.
The incident took place at a time when Covid-19 was spreading widely in the US, overwhelming healthcare systems in several parts of the country and causing a large number of deaths.
Ms Cirko pleaded guilty in June to a charge of weapons of mass destruction, considered a second-degree felony in the country, according to a local media report.
Her attorney Thomas Cometa claimed she tested negative for the coronavirus, but was intoxicated when the incident occurred. Mr Cometa said Ms Cirko had alcohol and mental health issues. “It’s not an excuse but it is an explanation,” he added.
“I wish I could take it back,” said Ms Cirko, apologising in court on Tuesday. Apart from the jail sentence, she was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution and undergo mental health and alcohol evaluations.
Over $35,000 worth of food and other items had to be thrown out because of the “twisted prank”, according to Joe Fasula, the co-owner of the supermarket chain.
Mr Fasula, in court, said employees and customers were afraid as the incident occurred during the early days of the pandemic when there was a lot of uncertainty about the virus. “At the time, no one knew if the virus could spread on surfaces,” he said.
Luzerne county assistant district attorney Drew McLaughlin said Ms Cirko’s threat caused many people fear, panic and anxiety in addition to financial loss.
Ms Cirko was earlier charged in April in a separate case for refusing to leave a Warrior Run church alleging she was a “child of god.”
The US has been grappling with the rampant spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Watch: What UK government COVID-19 support is available?
