The Michigan Busboy Who Cried COVID Won’t Be Charged

Last month a little lie shut down a Ludington, Michigan restaurant for days. A busboy working for Timbers Bar and Grill wanted a day off, so he called in sick saying he had COVID-19. Naturally the owners took this news very seriously and immediately stepped in to action. They locked their doors and started a began a rigorous sanitization process. During this time the public was notified that a case of the virus could be traced to their restaurant and anyone who may have visited the establishment should get tested. All employees were told to stay home and isolate. At the time, the owner saw the thousands of dollars they were out while being closed as a small price to pay for keeping their staff and the community safe. That is until they found out their busboy had lied.

You have to think that people will react to the news and take it very seriously, however, according to an article from MLive, the busboy will not be charged with a crime. Although the prosecutor can prove the lie was told to get time off, there is insufficient proof that the busboy knew he would cause panic. I don't care how old you are, or how much experience you've had in this world, but I would think that calling off work with COVID is the 2020 version of shouting fire in a crowded theatre and should be treated accordingly. At the very least he should be on the hook for some monetary damages Timbers Bar and Grill and it's employees faced as a result of not working for several days.