Nova Scotia’s premier says if you’re unhappy with the province’s COVID-19 restrictions, you can let him know.
Tim Houston doesn’t want to see the public taking out their issues over public health protocols with those who work in the service industry.
He’s heard reports some people are being rude to workers and refusing to follow safety measures, like wearing a mask.
Houston says there are no excuses for this behavior.
“If you’re unhappy, feel free to flip me the bird when I’m walking down the street or yell at me,” Houston says. “But don’t yell at the person who is just doing their job.”
Nova Scotia introduced its proof of vaccination policy on Monday.
You need to print off or provide digital access to your new immunization card that includes a QR code.
You can’t get into restaurants, sporting events, and gyms without it.
Over the weekend, the Wooden Monkey restaurant in Halifax issued a letter to the public on social media after it said a a group of maskless patrons harassed and threatened staff.
The incident happened on Sunday, on the heels of an anti-mask protest held at Citadel Hill.
Co-owner Christine Bower says a group of people without masks made their way past staff and sat at a table.
Bower says one person flashed what they claimed was a vaccine exemption card, but the rest didn’t.
She said staff couldn’t confirm if it was legitimate.
She describes the call she got from a supervisor after the group arrived.
“She called me bawling. My supervisor was bawling—and then she had to pass the phone to another server because she couldn’t speak, and he could barely talk,” she recalls. “They don’t deserve that. And it upset me so much that my staff [members] were so upset. They were just trying to do their job,” she added.
Eventually, the maskless group left, but not before threatening to get staff fired and sue them for human rights abuses.
**With files from Anastasia Payne and Trevor Nichols. Nichols is a reporter with HuddleToday.ca. Huddle Today Limited and Acadia Broadcasting are each part of the Ocean Capital Group.