Costco crowd in coronavirus pandemic turns rowdy, cops called
New Rochelle shoppers show displeasure at limited store capacity mandates amid COVID-19
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Police were called to a Costco Wholesale warehouse in the coronavirus-stricken town of New Rochelle on Saturday for crowd control, according to the New York Post.
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Hundreds of shoppers were lined up outside the store awaiting its 8 a.m. opening, but conditions reportedly became rowdy after worker took an extra half hour to open to the public. Chanting ensued before it turned into "total chaos," according to one shopper who spoke with the Post.
"I thought I was going to get trampled by shoppers, and it seemed like they were giving food away the way the customers acted, until cops and workers brought it under control," said Jose, a local who did not provide his last name.
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Costco workers used wooden pallets to organize lines outside the store, which allowed them to let in a limited number of restless shoppers at a time, per Gov. Andrew Cuomo's orders.
More than 1,000 shoppers who waited on the line at the New Rochelle Costco were said to be chanting at workers to let them in to shop.
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New Rochelle was a hot spot for the coronavirus earlier this year. The National Guard was sent to create a one-mile containment zone in March by Cuomo.
There have been 2,238 cases of coronavirus in the Westchester town since March 3, according to updated public health data.
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As of this week, the estimated number of active cases is 679, which is reportedly 220 fewer than the number of active cases from the previous week.
The rest of Westchester County has had more than 29,600 confirmed cases, more than 21,400 recoveries and more than 1,060 deaths related to the coronavirus, as of Sunday morning.
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Three county residents who live in the New Rochelle adjacent city of White Plains have filed a class-action lawsuit against the World Health Organization for allegedly mishandling the coronavirus pandemic.