BC Premier slams abusive restaurant patrons as "idiots" for not following COVID-19 protocols

BC Premier John Horgan didn’t mince words in his response to reports of abusive behaviour from a group of patrons towards staff at a restaurant on Vancouver Island, after they were asked to adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

The restaurant in question is a Mr. Mike’s in Langford, which is part of Horgan’s home riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca.

“Obviously very disappointed that bad behaviour continues,” said Horgan during a press conference on Thursday. “You’ve got employees that are doing their level best to provide an opportunity for people to come together to share a meal and to have idiots come in and be idiots quite frankly, is not acceptable.”

• See also:
  • Over 40 people caught coronavirus after party in Vancouver Coastal Health: Henry
  • Coronavirus exposure confirmed on two more BC flights
  • Walmart Canada implements mandatory face mask policy in all stores

Moving forward, Horgan said British Columbians “all have to up our game, we have to be kinder to each other, we have to behave with other people as we would want them to behave with us. It’s not acceptable to abuse people when you’re going out to have a meal, when you’re doing anything quite frankly.”

The premier added, “there’s a host of stories emerging about bad behaviour during this pandemic, and unfortunately they overshadow the good stories.”

As such, Horgan said he’d prefer “to focus on those moments when people’s better angels are shining forward, rather than those moments, like the one at Mr. Mike’s when people are just being stupid.”