WESTERN Sydney-based pharmacist, Veronica Nou, was stunned and appalled when a patient grabbed the back of her head while she was counselling another customer on Mon.
Operating in a disadvantaged area where a number of people in the community are "deep into conspiracy theories" about COVID-19, and a distrust of authority, Nou said the pharmacy team was focused on attempting to educate patients in a respectful manner, "if you push too hard they'll dig their feet in".
Nou told Pharmacy Daily that she had been talking to a new mother about her teething baby, when the man walked from his car, saw a sign noting that customers were being asked to wear a mask if they wanted to go into the store, or that they could be served at the door if they were unwilling to, in line with COVID-safe requirements, when the incident occurred.
She said CCTV showed the man park his car across from the pharmacy, before walking towards the store, where there was a chalkboard advising customers of the requirement to wear a mask as a condition of entry, before he grabbed her head and walked into the stop without a mask.
"He was forceful enough to move my head," she said.
"I don't know if he had an issue with the sign or something else... [but] he's not somebody with a history of mental health issues, but we've had issues with him before, he's been aggressive in the past."
After counselling the new mum, Nou said she went back into the pharmacy where she confronted the man over his behaviour.
"He apologised - although I'm not sure if he was sincere - he tried to hug me to apologise," she said.
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