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The Highwire with Del Bigtree

Mask-Free Store Goes Viral

The Highwire with Del Bigtree

The Highwire with Del Bigtree

News, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.93.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2021

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Florida grocery store owner, Alfie Oakes, made national headlines recently when a video of maskless employees and customers at his store went viral. Del talks to our “HighWire Hero of the Week” about what inspired him to stand up against Covid mandates, and how his opposition has put his thriving business in the spotlight.

Transcript

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0:00.0

There's a store in Florida that we're going to talk about and it happens to bring up my favorite part of every show or when we do it.

0:09.0

It's time for the High Wire Hero of the Week.

0:12.0

Our High Wire Hero of the Week is Alfie Oaks. I love this guy. I don't know if you saw him but he owns a sort of farm to table grocery store.

0:33.0

He's been all over the news. This is what that look like in the news. Take a look at this story.

0:38.0

We all fantasize about a time when we won't have to wear the masks anymore. It's not now. But some at a supermarket in Florida appear to have decided that the time is now.

0:50.0

A Naples grocery store going viral for not requiring masks inside.

0:55.0

This was the scene at Oaks Farm's Sea to Table Market in Naples today.

0:59.0

Lines of uncovered faces prompting mostly heavy criticism. Proof of that seems to be shocking much of the rest of the country but it is barely raising an eyebrow here.

1:10.0

The sign out front outlines if you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing a mask you are exempt and we cannot legally ask you about your medical condition.

1:19.0

Alfie Oaks is making national headlines for not enforcing mask wearing at his Oaks Farm Sea to Table Market.

1:26.0

Customers can wear a full body suit and if you're afraid of bumping your head and put on a football helmet.

1:31.0

You don't think masks work and the virus is not a real thing.

1:34.0

I know the masks don't work and I know that the virus has not killed 400,000 people in this country. That's total hogwash.

1:42.0

His anti-masking practices fueling harsh criticism on social media but it's also apparently fueling his business attracting shoppers like this one.

1:54.0

This is the only grocery store that we support currently.

1:59.0

Well, Alfie Oaks is a man after my own heart and I am honored to get a moment to speak with Alfie.

2:06.0

Alfie, first of all, thank you for being reasonable. Thank you for being great on camera.

2:12.0

Thank you for not seeing me like a crazy person when you talk about the reality of this is a free country. What made you do it?

2:19.0

What inspired you to just say, oh, this is hogwash. I'm done. I'm done with this.

2:25.0

Well, first of all, it was, it was very thought out and and you know, we've never, we've never worn masks here or made anyone wear a mask here ever since the very beginning and we have about eight to 10,000 people coming through a day.

2:41.0

And the decision was made after I actually had a conversation with our senator Rick Scott early on. I was begging him not to actually get to the president and urge him not to do any shutdowns that this is and we both agreed that neither one of us were really doctors or epidemiologists.

2:59.0

So he had one of the world's leading epidemiologists get on a three way call with me back in February last year and we spent several hours and after speaking with this gentleman for several hours and I wish I could have recorded the conversation because he was spot on.

...

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