The MBTA mask mandate has been in place since early in the pandemic, but these days not everyone is still willing to comply.
A woman became belligerent and smashed out a window on an MBTA bus at the Bellingham Square stop in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on Sunday after the bus driver told her she had to wear a mask, transit police said Wednesday.
They asked anyone who recognizes the woman to give them a call at 617-222-1050.
Her reaction is just one example of what appears to be increasing mask rage.
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“What she did was not right," said Tomy Gomez or Chelsea.
Anthony Tran of Dorchester agreed, calling what happened “ridiculous."
He said he thinks it’s going to get worse: "We're so used to it now I think its just how it is right now but, over time, I'm sure people will get more upset."
Grendel's Den in Cambridge has already experienced that. When they announced they would only allow vaccinated people to eat inside, they were met with a backlash.
“It was a lot of comments from a very small number of people on social media who seemed to be energized," said the bar and restaurant's owner, Keri Kuelzer.
As for enforcing this policy, "Most people who are unvaccinated or unwilling to be vaccinated are not the kind of people who also will have, like, a fake ID," Kuelzer said. "They're just not participating in the whole process of being vaccinated, so if we ask them they would probably not want to come here."
Kuelzer also said she's considering a mask mandate for her restaurant, but will rely on direction from the state and the CDC before making that move.
