‘Sorry, no mask allowed’: Some businesses pledge to keep out customers who cover their faces

For 64 days, Kevin Smith had shut down the Liberty Tree Tavern to comply with government orders. Now he was cleaning and disinfecting and removing stools to cut seating by three-quarters as he prepared to reopen the bar.

Plexiglass screens had gone up at the supermarket checkout. His neighbors in Elgin, Tex., were still wearing masks outside, even after it was no longer mandated by the county. Such a response seemed unnecessary, he said, and he wanted to push back.