BEREA, Ohio — The guidelines calling for many Ohio workers and others to wear face masks in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus have at times brought out harsh reactions, with many (including some politicians) claiming their freedoms are being violated. However, one local business has had enough with the criticisms.
In a lengthy Tuesday Facebook post, Mootown Creamery in Berea viciously called out customers who have harassed its employees (many of them teenage girls) for wearing masks. Owner Angela Brooks says she was the one who required the masks (in line with CDC recommendations) in an effort to protect those purchasing ice cream in the store, but a number of people who have come in have apparently been incredibly rude.
From Brooks' own words:
"Do you know how hard it is to work a summer rush in a face mask? With a line of customers to the door, some waiting outside, online orders dinging on a tablet, the phone ringing off the hook -- and then have a customer throw a temper tantrum in the store calling the girls 'paranoid' or 'anti-american' or even worse - CUSS AT THEM! (Does it feel good to make a 16 year old girl cry in the bathroom? Or sob on her way home from work? Does that make you feel better about Covid? How would you feel if someone did this to your child?)"
COVID-19 cases have surged in Ohio and across the country in recent weeks, and health experts say a large factor is people not respecting social distancing measures. A vocal and often politicized movement against wearing masks has emerged (despite overwhelming evidence showing their benefits), but Brooks says those people who refuse to respect her employees will not be welcomed at Mootown.
"If going out for ice cream puts you in that much of a bad mood, stay home!!" she wrote. "You are not going to ruin the experience for everyone else."
Brooks did note most customers have not been "absolute monsters" during this difficult situation, and she shared her love and appreciation for them. For those unwilling to follow the rules while inside the store, she says options like curbside pickup and even home delivery remain available.
"I get it. This sucks. Covid is one of the most awful things many of us have experienced in our lifetime," the post read. "However that is no excuse to take out your frustrations on teenage kids serving ice cream!"