A TANNING salon based in Waterford city was forcibly closed by Gardaí after it opened its doors during the coronavirus crisis.
Miami Tanning Waterford had made a series of Facebook posts since the pandemic began, one which claimed that UV lights in their tanning beds could cure coronavirus and the salon was therefore an essential service.
However, the business had also stated, in other posts on their now-deleted Facebook page, that the coronavirus pandemic was a hoax, fabricated so 5G could be installed "with no public discussion nor permission".
They urged people to "go to work, go outside and spit on [the] ground" and to hug people.
Miami Tanning Waterford has been closed by Gardaí (Getty Images)"There are many reasons to believe this is ONE BIG LIE on a global scale," the business wrote. "Many are back to work and so are we."
Their actions prompted hundreds of people to report the business to Gardaí, both for endangering the public and opening their doors as a non-essential business during the Government-mandated effective lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Gardaí called to the business and ordered it to be shut down, as the Government list of 'essential service' allowed to remain open during the pandemic did not include tanning salons.
