Kahron Spearman
A Canadian registered nurse received significant backlash after sharing a series of Instagram videos describing her refusal to comply with COVID-19 safety procedures upon returning to Toronto from an international flight.
An unmasked Jessica Faraone landed at Toronto Pearson Airport last week after spending a month in Arusha, Tanzania, where she says she worked a clinic. After landing, Faraone recorded an Instagram video stating she refused to take a COVID-19 test or quarantine in a hotel for three days, both required according to Canada’s regulations.
In the series of videos, which are still up on her page, Faraone argues with airport officials and continues her refusal to cooperate.
“I’m a frontline worker, actually,” the nurse Karen says with a tinge of a god/savior complex. “I’m considered a hero because I’m a registered nurse.”
“It’s all f—king bullsh—t…We all need to start standing together.”
Faraone complained that airport officials sought to “shame” her because of her occupation.
“I did not think it was sensible or reasonable to get another invasive test or go to a government-approved hotel instead of my own home,” she said in an interview with Toronto Sun.
“I’m not saying COVID isn’t real,” the nurse Karen states. “I’m disputing the measures the government is putting in place for a virus that has a 98% survival rate. The interventions should not be worse than the actual virus itself.”
“I have worked in the hospitals, and more than ever, I’m seeing suicide, depression, strokes, heart attacks, addiction issues. Masking people and children, oppressing health-care workers’ opinions that go against the grain, socially isolating people, and instilling fear into Canadians … is not how we solve this problem.”
Per CBC.ca, Ontario’s nursing regulatory body, the College of Nurses of Ontario, says it is aware of Faraone’s videos, “and according to the conditions outlined on their website, Faraone could face disciplinary action.”
There have been over 22,000 deaths from COVID in Canada since the start of the pandemic, with most cases and deaths occurring in Quebec and Ontario, Faraone’s home province.