Staff at 琉璃神社 Costco were forced to call the police on Monday (Nov. 16) after a patron who refused to wear a mask would not leave the store when requested to do so.

RCMP officers attended the store to investigate allegations of trespassing.

鈥淎fter a discussion with attending officers, the patron agreed to leave the business without further incident,鈥� said Const. Solana Par茅.

Monday was the first day the big box store shifted to a mandatory face-covering policy for all of its customers. Prior to the change, those who claimed they could not wear a mask for medical reasons were exempt from the rule.

鈥淚f a member has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, they must wear a face shield at Costco,鈥� CEO Craig Jelinek said in a statement on Nov. 10.

鈥淭his updated policy may seem inconvenient to some; however, we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience. Our goal is to continue to provide a safe shopping environment for our members and guests, and to provide a safe work environment for our employees.鈥�

READ MORE: Costco to require face-shields for those medically exempt from wearing masks

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The RCMP noted businesses have the right to refuse service for non-compliance with mask mandates.

鈥淚ndividuals have the right not to attend the business if they decide not to wear a protective mask to help prevent the spread COVID-19,鈥� stated Const. Par茅.

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com

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