WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — The general manager of Noah’s Ark, Mark Whitfield, was fired after referring to the coronavirus as “phantom China virus” in an email to county officials. Palace Entertainment, which owns Noah’s Ark Water Park, said the company is committed to support local leaders. In his message, Whitfield wrote against proposed mandatory face masks. Whitfield said the county should not be in the business of mandating what citizens can wear in public. Masks, he said, would be a “slippery slope to someone mandating women wearing hijabs.” Whitfield also cited religious reasons against masks. “The mark of the beast,” he said.
