An insurance advisor in Toronto has been criticized for refusing to wear a mask in a hospital and posting about it on Twitter.
On Saturday, insurance advisor Letitia Montana said that she went to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Toronto for a “suspected” broken finger – but hospital staff told her she needed to wear a mask first before they could attend to her.
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“Went into the emergency department at St Joseph’s Hospital in Toronto for a suspected broken finger,” Letitia said on Twitter. “I was asked to wear a mask, which I refused to do. As a result, hospital staff asked me to leave and immediately called three security guards to escort me out.”
In the accompanying video, Montana can be seen arguing with hospital staff, who inform her that the guidelines come from Ontario’s Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the time of writing, the video has been viewed more than five million times.
Montana has since been criticized by officials, with Toronto City spokesperson Brad Ross saying that Montana was “doing social media wrong.”
“You’re doing social media all wrong, Letitia,” Ross said in a tweet. “Don’t make your name a verb. Put the camera away and don a mask inside public places, especially hospitals. Doing so protects others – you know, your fellow humans.”
For his part, Toronto councillor Michael Ford called Montana selfish, saying on Twitter that her actions translate to “I don’t care about you or anyone else, but you better care about me.”
Meanwhile, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott thanked St. Joseph’s Hospital for adhering to guidelines.
“I would like to thank the brave frontline heroes at St. Joseph’s Health Centre and across Ontario for putting themselves in harm’s way to care for us,” Elliott said in a statement. “When seeking care, each of us should follow all protocols in place at hospitals to help protect frontline workers and other patients.”
