Bonnets, Gloves, Glasses: Two Florida Women Don Granny Costumes to Try to Qualify for Covid Vaccines

Sarah RumpfFeb 19th, 2021, 5:48 pm
 

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Two Florida women had an unusual strategy to attempt to get the coronavirus vaccine: they “dressed up as grannies,” complete with bonnets, gloves, and glasses. And the ruse apparently worked — for the first shot, anyway.

According to a report by the New York Times, on Wednesday, the unnamed pair donned the costumes and attempted to get the second vaccine dose at the vaccination site set up at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, and presented Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cards showing that they had already received the first dose.

The women’s ridiculous getups may have attracted more attention this week than they did during their first attempt earlier this winter. The outfits reportedly included glasses, bonnets, and gloves — a bit odd in the mild Central Florida weather, which was in the 60s on Wednesday.

“Maybe it was the bonnets that gave them away,” quipped Patricia Mazzei, the Times‘ Miami bureau chief.

Dr. Raul Pino, the Orange County health administrator, told reporters that the women were actually 34 and 44, not the minimum required age of 65 or older, and they were turned away when their birth dates did not match what they claimed

“I don’t know how they escaped the first time,” said Pino. He also mentioned one man who had attempted to pose as his father, who had the same name but a birth date that qualified for the vaccine.

Police issued trespass warnings to the faux grannies, and they were sent on their way without criminal charges, but also without getting that second shot.

Twitter users drew comparisons with the 1993 movie, Mrs. Doubtfire, and youthful exploits of attempting to buy alcohol with fake IDs.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.