'Ikea Karens' abuse staff and tell them to 'shush' after they were told to put on masks FOUR times as they made their way through the store

Two women hurled abuse at Ikea staff and told them to 'shush' after refusing to wear face masks while shopping at the furniture giant.

Video footage showed the 'Ikea Karens' raise their voices at a checkout operator at the exit of an Ikea store in Sydney. 

Masks were made mandatory in certain situations across Sydney to combat the coronavirus outbreak on the Northern Beaches.

Masks must be worn while shopping and on public transport - among other inside settings - or Sydneysiders risk a $200 fine.  

Video footage showed the 'Ikea Karens' raise their voices at a checkout operator at the exit of an Ikea store in Sydney

The footage begins during an argument, where one of the shoppers tells an Ikea worker standing behind the counter to 'shut up'. 

'This is the fourth time today. Enough,' the woman says.

Her shopping partner, a woman who is behind the camera, then talks at the female worker, who is wearing a black face mask.

'You know people have medical conditions, they have trauma, rape, abuse,' she said.

'They have a multitude of reasons as to why they are exempt. It is part of the law. It is unnecessary to act this way.' 

The Ikea worker turned her back to the women and appeared to attempt to ignore the pair. 

She then tried to interject and say something before walking away. 

A male colleague then stepped in front of the worker and began talking to the two women. The man said 'you don't need to film her', to which the woman said she was allowed to

A male colleague then stepped in front of the worker and began talking to the two women.

The man said 'you don't need to film her', to which the woman said she was allowed to.

'It is my right to film her,' the woman behind the camera continued.

The other woman then explained the pair were stopped four times while walking through Ikea.

'If I'm not wearing a mask, there is a reason,' she said.

The male worker replied: 'That's fine', to which the woman said: 'Shush, don't cut me off'.

'The website says if you cannot wear a mask, you don't have to.

Masks must be worn while shopping and on public transport - among other inside settings - or Sydneysiders risk a $200 fine. Pictured: Commuters exit St. James Station in the city on Monday

'Clearly I'm not wearing it for a reason... So you need to stop telling people to wear masks if they choose not. End of.'

The woman says 'shush' again and raises her hand up to the man.

The male worker responded: 'It's just what we've been told.'

The Ikea workers are then accused of 'harassment' and are told to 'back off', before the video cuts off.

The footage was posted to Reddit on Tuesday.

'Yes it begins... the idiots are out in full force!' the person who posted the video wrote.

'I don't know why I thought we in Sydney were better than this.'

There are almost 300 comments on the Reddit post, with many saying they feel sorry for the retail workers. 'The people working at the shops are just doing their jobs and following the new rules. These ladies are just acting entitled,' one person wrote. Pictured: The Ikea workers 

There are almost 300 comments on the Reddit post, with many saying they feel sorry for the retail workers.

'The people working at the shops are just doing their jobs and following the new rules. These ladies are just acting entitled,' one person wrote.

'I feel so bad for the workers that have to deal with this s**t now,' another said.

A third wrote: 'Putting others at risk and rattling on on about abuse victims whilst they verbally abuse innocent people just doing their job. Disgusting.' 

The scenes are reminiscent of Melbourne's coronavirus lockdown, where disgruntled residents filmed themselves without face masks in defiance of the state's mandate. 

Greater Sydney's mask mandate was introduced on Sunday, as the Northern Beaches coronavirus outbreak spread across the city - with a new cluster in Berala. 

Dozens of protesters swarmed a shopping centre in Bondi Junction, in the city's east, on Sunday without wearing masks - holding signs and chanting 'I would rather be a human than a slave'.

The anti-maskers mingled with other shoppers, who were wearing masks, and pushed wild claims such as 'masks increase your risk of infection'.

When to wear a face mask in Sydney:

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian announced face masks would be mandatory for all Greater Sydney residents from 11.59pm on Saturday.

The rule also applies to residents living Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains.

Whenever a resident leaves their home, they will need to wear a mask when visiting these indoor settings:

1) Entertainment venues, such as a cinema

2) Places of worship, such as a church or mosque

3) Public transport, such as buses and trains

4) Shopping centres

5)  Established gaming areas

6) Hair and beauty salons

Anyone who is caught not wearing a face mask risks copping a $200 fine.