Is This Legal? AZ Fast Food Chain Bars Employees Mask Wearing

As the covid lockdowns and the era of the new normal rules and guidelines are beginning to become a memory, many individuals and businesses have moved on from the masking debate.

Covid Artifacts. Canva

You can still spot pandemic artifacts, as I've come to think of them. The plexiglass "walls" meant to separate customers from service workers. The fading "Social distance! Stand 6 feet apart!" stickers on floors. Even a few old signs with advice on vaccination practices and masking rules.

Covid Artifact: Plexiglass "walls" still separate some customers from employees. Canva

Like a years' long fever dream, the world is moving on from most of the swirling debates that raged at its height. The tribal division over wearing masks got heated and even vicious, at times.

The Mask Debate is Over. Kind Of.

There was so much debate about being forced to wear a mask in public. Or about the heartless spreaders who refused to wear masks and endangered the public.

To mask or not to mask. The debate raged. Canva

Panic and fear drove so much of the infighting, and it was tough no matter where you landed. The simmer fear seems like something only Rod Serling could have imagined, with a plot worthy of the Twilight episode, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.

It's Policy: No More Masks at One Fast Food Chain

While it's still possible to see the occasional person wearing a mask in public, these days it feels less political and more precautionary.

Should fast food workers be allowed to wear masks? Canva

Most official policies have been retired altogether, giving individuals the option to wear one or not based on their own preferences. One Arizona fast food chain has created a new policy, and debate is swirling once again.

Maintaining an Image

This restaurant is trying to return to its unique image, and they've created a policy that doesn't allow its workers to wear masks any longer.

In N Out Burger - Photo by Justin Sullivan Getty Images

Effective in August, In-N-Out Burger is officially ditching masks for employees. The new policy's stated goal is to "provide exceptional customer service" and they believe showing "smiles and other facial features" is an important part of that formula.

In-N-Out Burger is focusing on employee smiles and customer service. Photo by Tommaso Boddi // Getty Images for John Varvatos

The policy outlines that masks are not allowed to be worn by employees inside the store. There are exceptions: for example, if an associate has a valid medical note, an N-95 mask provided by the company, is expected to be worn.

The company may provide masks for employees with a doctor's note. Canva

The policy will only be enforced in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah. It can't be enforced in California or Oregon, where employers are not allowed to ban masking by employees, where it's not legal due to differing state regulations.

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