Something you may have picked up on over the last several months is that Texas is rapidly becoming an uninhabitable place. Already a high-risk zone thanks to the residency of “gelatinous tubeworm” Ted Cruz, the Lone Star state now proudly bans abortion at six weeks, lets people carry guns in public without training or permits, will disenfranchise countless voters of color, and prohibits vaccine mandates, despite ICUs being pushed to the brink with COVID-19 cases. Oh, and if you choose to wear a mask in order to protect your immunocompromised child, at least one area restaurant will throw you out for violating its “dress code.”
The Washington Post reports that Natalie Wester and her husband Jose Lopez were out to dinner with friends earlier this month when a server at Hang Time Sports Grill & Bar in Rowlett, Texas, told them to take off their masks or leave the premises. Wester and Lopez were wearing the face coverings to protect their four-month-old child, who has cystic fibrosis and is immunocompromised, but apparently that was of little import to the restaurant. Despite explaining that their son’s condition could be life-threatening, and that his doctors have said they must be careful not to pass along the flu or common cold to him, let alone COVID-19, the restaurant was unmoved. According to Wester, the server told her the manager had sent her “because I am nicer than he is.… But this is political and I need you to take your masks off.” If they weren’t willing to do so, the couple was informed, they needed to pay their bill and leave.
Far from deny the incident, which any establishment with a measure of shame might try to do, Tom Blackmer, the owner of the restaurant, confirmed Wester’s version of events, saying he has the right to refuse service to any customers who don’t abide by his “dress code,” which is apparently anti-mask and pro-coronavirus. Blackmer told the Post that he implemented a mask ban in April because he doesn’t believe they stop the virus from spreading and because—wait for it—criminals could use them to get away with robbery or theft in a place where his adult children work, and he refuses to do things “that put them at risk.” Kind of, you know, like what Wester and Lopez were trying to avoid in the case of their own kid, except in this case, not wearing masks actually does put their child at risk, whereas Blackmer’s kids need only worry about the effects of having him as a father.
As for Blackmer’s analysis re the utility of masks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that face coverings are effective at stopping the spread of COVID-19, and recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated wear them in indoor public spaces. (It has also warned that people with cystic fibrosis—which can make moving air in and out of the lungs difficult and increase the chance of infection—may have a higher risk of severe COVID symptoms, the Post noted.)
While he says he has no regrets over the incident, Blackmer would, however, appreciate people’s sympathy:
The backlash against Blackmer and the restaurant has been swift and fierce, he said, adding that he hasn’t slept in two days since news about Wester’s experience took off. The restaurant can’t keep its phones charged because they ring constantly. People have flooded the restaurant’s Facebook page with comments, which led Blackmer to briefly take it down. He said someone doxed him on Twitter, leading him to move out of his Dallas apartment into one he’d already rented but hadn’t moved to. “This town is trying to burn me down,” he said. “They are just vicious.”
But, Blackmer added, he doesn’t plan on ending the ban and doesn’t regret enforcing it on Sept. 10, when Wester and Lopez were in his restaurant. “This is right,” he said, “and if we don’t have a business next week, we’ll be fine.”
The Hang Time rule comes a few months after a California restaurant declared it will only serve unvaccinated customers, because while masks and vaccines work, COVID misinformation is apparently highly contagious.
