Now, the company’s pandemic stances have landed it in hot water again, as a tweet from Dr. Lucky Tran, a molecular biologist who frequently writes about public health issues for The Guardian and other outlets, alleges that In-N-Out is banning its employees from wearing masks. Tran’s tweet includes an apparent internal memo from In-N-Out executives stating, “No masks shall be worn in the Store or Support facility unless an Associate has a valid medical note.”

The statement goes on to explain that medical notes can only be accepted if the employee has a specific medical condition that requires them to wear a mask and that the note must also state the expected duration of that condition if that can be determined. If employees present such a note, they will be permitted to wear a mask; however, they are required to use N-95 masks provided by the company.

What is the reasoning behind In-N-Out’s purported mask ban? According to the memo, the mandate is intended to “emphasize the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates’ smiles and other facial features.” Also of note is the fact that the memo is addressed to employees in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. That leaves two states where In-N-Out operates — California and Oregon — that are apparently exempt from the mandate.

I don’t need to see someone’s smile, I literally don’t give a fuck, AHHHHHHHHH

Anyways, I don’t know if this has been verified, but I think it’s probably legit if the company hasn’t come out and denied it. And like, even if someone does get an exception, the medical note must state how long their condition is going to last? Fuck that. Are they gonna be when they learn that some people are chronically ill? And fuck having to wear a mask provided by the company–a company-issued mask isn’t necessarily going to fit every employee’s face.

I’ve been worried that banning masks in public spaces, if not criminalizing them (see: dipshit Eric Adam’s comments from earlier this year using the pretext of “crime” to crack down on masks) was going to eventually happen, so this might lead other companies to adopt similar policies in short order. Which is just going to exclude medically vulnerable people from society even more.

Can’t have people thinking we’re still in a pandemic by having vibe-killing employees wearing masks! culture is truly a scourge and needs to be destroyed.