PDRM logo. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — City police said they were investigating another incident involving a Caucasian woman dubbed #KarenDior who was again recorded refusing to wear a face mask at a mall here.
Brickfields district police chief ACP Amihizam Abdul Shukor said an examination of the incident shown in a video online indicated violations of the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP).
“On Oct 29, at around 11.30pm, a 20-second video was found on social media with the title ‘Spotted the karen making another scene at BSC! #KARENDIOR #KARENKLCC’.
“The video clip showed a woman, believed to be a 51-year-old foreigner, being detained by a security guard of a shopping mall in Bangsar for not wearing a face mask while trying to enter the mall,” he said in a statement.
Amihizam said violations of the Covid-19 SOPS were an offence under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, and urged witnesses of the incident to contact the police.
In the video mentioned, a woman resembling the person recorded confronting employees of the Dior outlet at the Suria KLCC shopping mall on Wednesday, also while refusing to don a face mask.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has commented on the first video by saying the ministry was seeking further information, and reiterating that it was still mandatory to mask up when in public within Malaysia.
The KLCC incident led to the #KarenDior hashtag being applied to the woman. “Karen” is a pejorative term for women who treat others in an entitled or privileged manner.