‘You now have COVID,’ stranger tells cancer survivor after hug at Walmart, MA cops say

A man hugged a stranger at a Walmart in Massachusetts and told the person he had infected them with the coronavirus, police say.

The incident happened Aug. 15 at a Walmart store in Springfield around 7:10 p.m., police said in a news release. The man walked up to a shopper, took an item out of the shopper’s hands and gave the person a hug, according to officials.

The man then told the person, “Just giving you a COVID hug. You now have COVID,” police said.

He then started laughing before walking away, according to officials.

The victim, who told police they are a cancer survivor, said they didn’t know the man and had never seen him before.

Police said the man had done the same thing to several other customers.

Officials are searching for the man and ask anyone who may be able to identify him to contact Springfield detectives at 413-787-6355.

This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 10:03 AM with the headline "‘You now have COVID,’ stranger tells cancer survivor after hug at Walmart, MA cops say."