In a major diss to science and public health, the owners of one Florida restaurant just demonstrated how sorely and dangerously uneducated they are when it comes to the global pandemic.
In what they assumed would be a cute Valentine's Day post, the staff of BeckyJack's Food Shack in Hernando County, Florida, posted a picture of a sign they'd placed in their window. The sign read, "FACE DIAPERS NOT REQUIRED. EVERYONE WELCOME."
They captioned the photo "Happy Valentine's Day," along with a heart emoji. "A friendly reminder that we DO NOT require Face Masks."
Hoo boy.
We all know by now (or we should know) that wearing masks helps keep ourselves and others safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks when out in public, especially when social distancing is not possible. Wearing masks can reduce the transmission of COVID-19 by up to 85%.
Still, even a year into the pandemic, with half a million COVID-19 deaths globally, not everyone is convinced they need to concern themselves with public safety … even if it could save a life. It's pretty shocking, but owner Jesse Fox defended the sign in an interview with Today. He said they had initially posted the sign because they were getting a lot of people coming in who were "surprised we weren't wearing masks."
He wanted to make sure people knew that his restaurant is totally and completely above taking precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save human lives. "So I was just trying to be proactive," he said. "Everyone thinks I’m politicizing it and shaming people who want to wear a mask but my only goal was to let people know before they came … we don’t require it."
In Hernando County, Florida, there is no mask mandate. But masks are recommended, according to the county website. Governor Ron DeSantis never issued a statewide mandate, leaving restaurants to make their own rules.
Of course, the social media post went viral. While a lot of people were outraged, and rightly so, some people loved the fact that the restaurant wasn't requiring people to wear masks. Some comments praised the restaurant for its irresponsible choice. It just goes to show how uneducated so many people still are about the spread of COVID-19.
There were still a lot of people who felt unsettled by the sign, though. NBC station WFLA spoke with a woman visiting from Orange County, Florida. She said that she found the restaurant's sign "stressful and disrespectful."
“I feel like I’m out of state almost. That’s how I feel because the whole not wearing the mask thing is absolutely ridiculous,” Lori Carroll said. “They need to educate themselves."
The owner is still not getting the point, though. "As far as I'm concerned, we won't require masks ever unless it's required by the county," he told Today. "Neither diners nor staff wear masks," he said. Greeeat.
"I think we’re using common sense, no one can expect to go to a restaurant and eat a meal," he said. "Back when it was required and I had to be in the back cooking, we were wearing masks. It’s not easy. I’m breathing a lot easier and a lot less on your food than when I am."
