A New Mexico woman was charged with felony "battery" after allegedly coughing on a health care worker's face. The woman who was charged, Joy Ebel, refused to wear a mask, verbally harassed employees at La Familia Medical Center in Truchas and coughed into the worker's face, it is alleged. Ebel denies the allegation, claiming she only lifted her mask at the time. All this goes to show the level of hysteria surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Ebel said she did not cough on anyone intentionally and that she does not have COVID-19. She claimed the incident started because workers at the clinic did not like how she was wearing her mask. "I did lift up my mask to breathe, from the bottom, because I have claustrophobia. I lifted it up," she said. Ebel said she was advised to correct her mask and after the fourth time was told she had to leave. "She said I was breathing on her nose to nose." Truchas woman speaks after being charged with battery for coughing in healthcare worker’s face | KRQE News 13 It sounds to me like this woman did something that made the other woman feel uncomfortable and unsafe, and then the other woman lied or exaggerated to get the first woman in trouble. I also think it's ridiculous how coughing can be made into a felony. (Let's not forget all the rights that are automatically taken away from a person under the law after they are convicted of a felony)
