The owner of a café in Northern California has posted a sign at his business informing customers who place an order while wearing a face mask that they’ll be charged a fee.
“$5 FEE ADDED TO ORDERS PLACED WHILE WEARING A FACE MASK,” says the message displayed on May 28 at the Fiddleheads Café in Mendocino, Fox News reported. In addition, anyone who is heard “bragging” about being vaccinated will also have to pay the penalty.
Chris Castleman, the eatery’s owner and a vocal critic of lockdowns since the start of the CCP virus pandemic, said the fees will go directly to “charities that have been overwhelmed by the collateral damage of government lockdowns.”
“I’ve been asked this entire time to put on a mask and that’s not a large request, all I’m asking is a $5 donation to charity, and I don’t think that’s too much,” he said.
Castleman said the idea for the sign emerged because he believes restrictions that are put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have been not only unsuccessful but destructive.
“I mean the idea behind it is I think it’s time all of these ineffective government measures start paying attention to the collateral damage they’ve caused collectively,” he told The Daily Mail.
Castleman noted that he’s not forcing anyone to pay the $5 fee, and everyone needs to have “freedom to breathe.” Donations made will go directly to charities supporting domestic abuse, and already about 100 people have done so.
“There’s no straight line from mask-wearing to domestic abuse, but I see it as one part of a giant piece that’s forcing people to stay at home, remove their freedoms, remove their jobs, and forces them into situations of despair,” he said.
Currently, Mendocino County, where the cafe is located, is still requiring people to wear face masks regardless of vaccination status. The indoor capacity for restaurants in the county is limited to 50 percent.
