An Oregon nurse who posted a TikTok video in which she boasted of violating coronavirus protocols “is no longer employed with Salem Health,” the hospital system confirmed to CNN.
The hospital did not say whether she had quit or was fired.
She had been put on administrative leave on Nov. 28, the day after she posted the video that was apparently made in a workplace break room.
The caption read: “When my coworkers find out I still travel, don’t wear a mask when I am out and let my kids have playdates.” In the video, the nurse lip-syncs to audio from the 2000 movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in which the Grinch mocks a little girl who is screaming and stuttering in fear.
The nurse’s account was deleted shortly afterward, but the video had already been reposted by other users.
In a Facebook post, Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics said the video “displayed a cavalier disregard for the seriousness of this pandemic and her indifference towards physical distancing and masking outside of work.”
Oregon has been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks. Marion County, where Salem Health is based, has had some of the highest numbers of cases in the state.
According to the hospital network, it has 47 staff members quarantined, and 176 employees out of approximately 5,200 have tested positive for COVID-19.
A mandate issued Nov. 18 by Oregon’s public health department requires that masks be worn except in one’s own home, car or “private, individual workspace.”
A widely watched TikTok video criticizing the woman said she is an oncology nurse, but her employer did not identify her area of assignment. Records from the Oregon State Board of Nursing indicate she has worked in health care at least since 2010.
