We wish we could put all the pandemic-induced chaos and problems on hold for at least for the winter holidays, but coronavirus doesn’t take a vacation. On the contrary, the lethal virus has been especially ferocious, causing 50,000 deaths just in the past month. Horrifyingly, a heartbreaking 2,403 have died on average in the US every single day in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University. CNN estimates it’s an average of 1 Covid-19 death every 40 seconds.
But when it seems that the numbers speak for themselves and don’t require additional reasoning for wearing face masks, some people are still refusing to do so. One such incident was caught on camera and shared on Reddit on Tuesday, where it immediately caused a stir in the comments.
Two anti-maskers who filmed the event on a cell phone camera came into Denny’s in Franklin Park, Illinois, and refused to wear masks. When the waitress politely told them they were required to wear one, the customers claimed “religious exemption,” citing the “Civil Rights Act of 1964.” But the waitress had had enough of the BS at that point, and did what she thought was best.
This video of a waitress tired of dealing with anti-maskers caused a stir on social media
According to Newsweek, it’s not clear who the two men who refused to wear masks due to “religious exemption” were, but one of them in the video was wearing a shirt with a quote from the founder of the Christian group Jesus Christ Ministries.
Meanwhile, Fox News reports that the spokesperson from Denny’s issued a statement following the incident: “While we understand that some may feel that they are exempt from certain mandates, at Denny's, the safety of our employees and guests is our top priority and we will always abide by all applicable regulations and guidelines to ensure that priority is met.”
The rest of Denny’s statement regarding this incident claimed, “this pandemic has hit the restaurant industry and those that work in it particularly hard, and we ask that those who choose to dine out respect the hard work and resilience of these workers by adhering to public health guidelines as well as individual restaurant policies.”
"We look forward to when these requirements are no longer necessary, but until then, will continue to act in the best interest of the health and welfare of our guests, employees, and the communities we serve," Denny’s concluded.
According to Denny’s official statement on their website, the company has taken steps “to ensure the safety of their employees, their guests, and their community; from bolstering our sanitation and safety protocols to developing drive-up ordering, curbside pickup, and contactless delivery.”
Due to the pandemic, Denny’s enhanced their sanitation procedures like daily temperature checks on employees, masks worn by all members of the team, social distancing, disposable menus, washing hands every 20 minutes with soap and sanitizer, etc.
And this is what people had to comment on the incident
