Fast food giant In-N-Out is banning employees in five states from wearing masks, unless they have a medical note, according a memo leaked Friday.
Employees in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Colorado will be affected the policy, which is slated to start on Aug. 14, per the memo. The only states that are exceptions to the new policy are California and Oregon.
The policy is intended to bolster "customer service" by showing employees' "smiles and other facial features while considering the health and well-being of all individuals," as well as "help to promote clear and effective communication" in stores.
CALIFORNIA COUNTY REINSTATES INDOOR MASK MANDATE
If employees choose to provide a medical note for masking indoors, they must detail the "specific medical condition or health concern that requires them to wear a mask" to their manager. Even if approved, the employee must wear "a company-provided N-95 mask," per the memo.
"Failure to comply with this policy," the memo continued, "may result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, based on the severity and frequency of the violation."
California, In-N-Out's home state, remains one of the strictest states in the country on masking violations.
Fox News Digital reported in June that Alameda County residents in California will be required to mask up in most public indoor settings, with local officials citing rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
This is not the first time that the California burger chain has come under attack for opposing COVID-era health policies like forced masking indoors.
In-N-Out also came under media fire in 2021 after the company refused to check customer vaccination status when they entered stores.
"We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government," In-N-Out’s Chief Legal and Business Officer Arnie Wensinger said in a statement. "It is unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not, whether based on the documentation they carry, or any other reason."
In-N-Out did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Julia Musto contributed to this report.
