Before the coronavirus pandemic, hardly anyone in the United States wore a mask in public on a regular basis. Doctors and nurses are obvious exceptions. Their jobs often require masks, but for those of us who don’t work in the medical profession, wearing a face mask was uncommon.

Now, that has all changed. We have masks to coordinate with our outfits. We have masks for our kids. We have extra masks in the car in case we forget to bring one with us when we go to the store.

Some cities require masks. Some stores require masks. The CDC highly recommends that we wear masks even if they aren’t required because masks have been shown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

While some people have gotten very upset when businesses require them to wear face masks, one business has taken a completely different approach.

Gary Kirby owns a bar in West Melbourne, Florida, called Westside Sports Bar and Lounge. Instead of requiring patrons to wear a face mask, he actually requires them to take their face mask off when they are in his business, and if they refuse to do so, they are told to leave.

Kirby says that his business was robbed by someone in a surgical mask on August 9th. The police told him that criminals would be taking advantage of mask mandates to commit crimes, and they also suspect that the robbery was an inside job.

Kirby started enforcing his no-mask policy on September 11th. While many people are criticizing this unusual move, he says that a lot of people are leaving positive comments for him on Facebook. 

Kirby told FOX 35, “I’m getting messages on my Facebook saying, ‘Hey, football, we’re coming there to watch the game.’”

The no-mask policy does not mean that Kirby is ignoring the coronavirus pandemic. When patrons approach his business, they are met at the door where a doorman checks each person’s temperature before he or she enters the bar.

It’s important to note that Kirby is not breaking any rules with this policy. West Melbourne does not require that anyone wears a face mask, but residents are encouraged to follow the CDC guidelines which recommend wearing them.

For more about this no-mask policy, watch the video below and hear Kirby discuss his bar’s new policy.

What do you think about this no-mask policy? Would you feel safe visiting Westside Sports Bar and Lounge?