Vegan chef and 'flat-earther' is branded a 'covidiot' after accusing supermarket staff of discrimination for not letting her into store without a mask

A California woman has been branded a 'covidiot' after accusing supermarket staff of discriminating against her for not letting her in the shop without a mask. 

Dana Point resident Shelley Lewis became embroiled in a dispute with supermarket staff after she refused to wear a face covering on the grounds of a medical condition. 

When the manager of the Gelson's Market branch in Orange County offered to buy her groceries for her she refused, saying her shopping was 'private'. 

Vegan Chef upset that store won't let her shop without facemask

Loaded: 0%

Progress: 0%

0:00

Previous

Play

Skip

Mute

Current Time0:00

/

Duration Time2:41

Fullscreen

Need Text

+5

+5

Dana Point resident Shelley Lewis became embroiled in a dispute with supermarket staff after she refused to wear a face covering on the grounds of a medical condition. The 'chipper' Gelson's employee pictured, left, and store manager Ben, right

Lewis filmed herself as she spoke to a Gelson's shop assistant, who tells her in the video that she can't enter the store without wearing a mask, but the supermarket would 'happily provide one' for her. 

She demands to speak to the manager, named Ben, who gives her the same answer. 

'I have a medical condition that I'm not allowed to wear a mask,' she tells him, adding she wasn't required to tell him what the condition is. 

'Can we shop for you?' Ben asks her, to which she replies 'I have private things that I want to get that maybe I don't want you to see.' 

She goes on to accuse the manager of 'discriminating' against her after he refuses to let her in the store without a mask, and demands to see the store's 'regulations'. 

He advises her to call the supermarket's corporate head office, at which point she threatens him with a lawsuit. 

+5

A sign displayed outside the supermarket states that masks or face coverings are required to enter the store 

'Well you guys are going to get a lawsuit because you can't discriminate,' she said.  

The manager replies: 'I'm trying to help you but I'm not going to argue with you.' 

'How's that helping me?' she claps back. 

She then proceeds to address the camera as the store manager walks away to get her a company card, saying: 'This is Shelley Lewis, I'm at Dana Point Gelson's, so if anybody wants to shop here you have to have a mask and here is the policies which state that they will shop for me and take my money, my private credit card, and utilize that, I'm just going to let them go do that?

'No I'm not, I'm not going to let them do that.' 

She then addresses the original shop assistant who is wiping down shopping trolleys outside the store while dancing to music, stating that he appears 'chipper'. 

+5

+5

She then addresses the original shop assistant who is wiping down shopping trolleys outside the store while dancing to music, stating that he appears 'chipper' (left). The video ends after store manager Ben hands her a business card for her to call the corporate office (right) 

He responds that he is happy to have a job. 'I'm a bartender and I wouldn't have a job were it not for Gelson's,' he says.  

Lewis adds: 'I'm glad you guys think it's OK to infringe on people's rights here.' 

The video ends after store manager Ben hands her a business card for her to call the corporate office. 

Lewis's social media profile states that she is a 'flat earther' and 'vegan chef'. 

She is listed on the Flat Earth International Conference (USA) 2019 website as a speaker. 

In her profile on the site, it says she 'served in the Army for 5 years where she jumped out of airplanes and became a paratrooper.'

She says she was honorably discharged due to a medical condition. 

The video has received backlash after it was posted online, with Twitter users branding her a 'covidiot'. 

Twitter user and DNC member Khary Penebaker shared the video, with the caption: 'Karen gets upset that a store won't let her shop without a protective facemask. 

'She then tried to pretend like she's the victim, despite the store giving her options. This is pure arrogance.'

Others praised the conduct of the store employees, with one person writing: 'Give that man a vacation! He was excellent!'

'Well done @gelsonsmarkets! Will be by in the morning to shop because you guys are so cool,' another person remarked. 

One Twitter user commented: 'I support all grocery stores that refuse service to people who refuse to wear face masks or coverings. I hope that all other stores and shops will do the same until there is an effective treatment or a vaccine for Covid-19.'

A county-wide mandate requires all Orange County employees of grocery or gas stores to wear face masks while they work. The same regulation has not been established for customers, although individual companies have set their own policies regarding protective gear. 

County health officials advise all shoppers to wear facial coverings.