'No Oxygen Deprivation Mask': California Restaurant Accused of Asking Customers to Remove Mask

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Jul 20, 2020 06:23 AM EDT

A Northern California restaurant is allegedly discouraging customers from wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports say.

Apple Bistro in Placerville has reportedly put out a sign asking customers to remove their face mask when dining inside. This resulted in multiple complaints from those eating at the restaurant.

The sign outside the restaurant says, according to a report: "No social conditioning. No oxygen deprivation mask. No latex dirty germ spreader," and "This may not be for you."

One woman complained on social media saying that she just went in and ordered an apple pie. She was reportedly asked to leave the café.

"Why? Because I was wearing a mask," she was quoted in a report.

The customer said they were regulars and will never stop at the establishment again.

One customer named Connie said the sign outside does not bother her, according to a report.

Connie said she thinks the warning outside the establishment is a joke. She said when she ate at the restaurant about a week ago, there were people with masks on.

The owner of the restaurant said he disagrees with the county health rules and will not be implementing them.

Customers said the staff of the restaurant were not wearing masks.

The El Dorado County Health Department said they have gotten around 20 complaints about Apple Bistro since March.

The state health department said they have made rounds to the restaurant but now things are getting serious.

The health agency said they will visit again next time to warn the restaurant. If complaints continue, they may decide to suspend the bistro's permit.

Other Establishments with Anti-Mask Stance

In Huntington Beach, Basilico's Pasta e Vino said on social media that it opposes asking people to wear masks in public.

This elicited both positive and negative reactions from customers.

One social media user said to go to other Italian restaurants in the area.

The restaurant refused to comment on the issue about whether customers would be asked to remove masks on entering the dining room.

California Restaurants Shutting Down

State governor Gavin Newsom announced on Twitter on Monday that California is immediately shutting down restaurant dining rooms statewide.

This is part of efforts to curb COVID-19 cases.

Bars, pubs, and other dining establishments were ordered to stop operations including takeout and delivery services.

Newsom did not say how long the second shutdown might last.

Several other states have ordered establishments to close or discontinue indoor service.

Major markets such as New York City, New Jersey, and San Francisco has delayed the restart of dine-in services to lower the growing coronavirus infection rates.