In a bizarre incident, a woman deliberately and repeatedly coughed on food in a Hannaford Township, PA. supermarket.  As a result the store was obliged to remove potentially contaminated items for disposal, representing wastage valued at $35,000.  The perpetrator was arrested and is currently undergoing psychiatric examination and medical tests to determine whether she was infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus.  In addition to destroying food, Gerrity Supermarket was obliged to decontaminate the store.

The Department of Justice has ruled that intentional contamination of food will result in indictment under terrorism statutes since the virus causing COVID-19 meets the criteria for a “biological agent”. Threatening or deliberately spreading the virus could constitute a terrorist threat.