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Two Bay Area businesses have been reportedly threatened recently to be burned down if they don't end their COVID-related restrictions.
A gym and a bar in Marin County in California received handwritten threats over the health policies they have in place, Kron4 reported on Thursday.
"If the vaccine mandate isn't lifted within one week, this place burns," read one note that was taped to the door of Body Kinetics Health Club, a gym located in San Rafael.
Michael Jenkins, the owner of the gym, said that the threat was placed on the door Saturday night and found the following morning, according to the news outlet.
Jenkins said that he is aware some people might be upset with some COVID-related protocols but threatening arson is going overboard.
He also added that the note left him confused because the gym had no vaccine mandates to begin with, but it is following health guidelines imposed by the county.
The gym will reportedly install an outdoor camera and more floodlights as security measures in response to this threat.
Another note which had a similar threat was found at Papermill Creek Saloon, a bar in Forest Knolls, according to Kron 4. It is not clear if both notes were written and left by the same suspect.
The bar's manager Jared Litwin said that strict vaccination policies were in place after positive COVID cases were reported among some customers and musicians.
The Papermill Creek Saloon is offering a $1,000 reward for tips that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the person who left the note, according to Kron 4.
Newsweek contacted the Papermill Creek Saloon, Body Kinetics Health Club, the San Rafael police, and Marin County for information but didn't receive a response by the time of publishing.
Marin County on Thursday announced that health officials will use COVID hospitalization rates instead of the daily COVID case rates as a guide for pandemic response policies.
"While daily case rates will continue to be measured closely, with 85 percent of the population fully vaccinated, fewer cases are leading to hospitalization or death," the statement read.
A number of incidents involving disputes by people opposing COVID-related measures have been reported in California recently. On Wednesday, Kristina Lawson, president of California' medical board said that a group of anti-vaxxers followed her from home to her work on Monday.
She said that four men ambushed her when she was returning to her car at the end of the day to ask her anti-vaccine-related questions. The men were identified as representatives of a right-wing medical organization that has been criticized for COVID misinformation, called America's Frontline Doctors.
California has a total of 4,496 COVID cases on a daily average as of December 9, according to state data.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more