(WHDH) — The owner of a popular bar has reportedly posted a sign outside of his establishment urging masked customers to keep away and return home until the coronavirus pandemic passes.
A statement that hangs on the door of Liberty Tree Tavern in Elgin, Texas, reads, “Due to our concern for our citizens, if they feel the need to wear a mask, then they should probably stay home until it’s safe,” according to KXAN-TV.
Elgin, a city with about 10,000 residents, has reported 52 positive COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak.
“It is more of a push back…the snitches and the contact tracers out there,” tavern co-owner Kevin Smith told the news outlet. “This is still a rural county.”
Smith said he still plans to adhere to social distancing rules, among other precautions.
Local resident Charles Chamberlain, who is a cancer survivor, told the news outlet that he can’t wait to go back to the bar.
“It’s just a choice. He just put that up there to let people know if they aren’t feeling good, then they maybe shouldn’t come,” Chamberlain said.
Other businesses in the area are requiring customers to wear masks, while some are leaving that choice up to the customer.
Texas bars and restaurants are supposed to limit capacity to 25 percent, but there is no outdoor limit.
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