A new video shows customers at an Arkansas restaurant engaged in a brawl over COVID-19 social distancing concerns.
Journalist Hunter Hoagland, of Fox 16 News, shared the video and wrote, “Saturday night dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse in Little Rock turned violent after one customer was upset about the lack of social distancing.” Watch the video later in this article, but be forewarned that it includes profanity.
“You’re supposed to be six-feet away from me,” a woman, who is wearing a mask and sitting at the bar says to a man, “You see how aggressive your as- is. Well we aggressive.” The woman claimed the man spit on her.
At that point, another man starts confronting the people at the bar. A man at the bar then throws a glass and an all-out brawl erupts between the two parties.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Witness Said Everyone Was ‘in Shock’
According to Fox News, police documented the dispute in a report, writing that “a woman wearing a face mask told two other patrons – who were not wearing masks – that they were too close for comfort.” One of the men in the brawl was wearing a USA shirt.
“The guy came up and was touching on his back and giving him a little shove and he just wasn’t taking it and that’s when it all started,” witness Seth Crews told KARK-TV. “All the restaurant employees were trying to help, they were just in shock like the rest of us.”
Arkansas bars and restaurants reopened in late May with limited capacity, according to Fox. KARK reported that no one in the video was seeking charges.
Coronavirus Is Spiking in the United States
CDC
As of July 1, 2020, the CDC was reporting 2,624,873 cases of coronavirus in the United States, with 43,644 new cases, and 127,299 deaths.
The CDC has an entire page devoted to social distancing guidance. “Limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),’ it reads. “Social distancing, also called ‘physical distancing,’ means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. To practice social or physical distancing stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.”
The page advises, “In addition to everyday steps to prevent COVID-19, keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and slowing its spread locally and across the country and world.”
The CDC suggests:
Limit close contact with others outside your household in indoor and outdoor spaces. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay away from others when possible, even if you—or they—have no symptoms. Social distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
“COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs. Recent studies indicate that people who are infected but do not have symptoms likely also play a role in the spread of COVID-19,” CDC says.
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