A Sacramento coffee shop chain enraged workers and patrons by forbidding employees to wear masks.

Temple Coffee, a Sacramento-based chain of nine shops that also sells coffee at area supermarkets, sent a message to employees Wednesday that said that employees are not allowed to wear masks — widely recommended for use to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) — as they violate the company’s dress code.

The message, which was widely shared to social media, was sent by Will Talbot, the company’s office manager, SN&R Extra reports. Though Temple’s creative director announced Thursday that the email “included misinformation and miscommunications, and it was not approved by Temple Coffee Operations,” there seems to be more to the story: CapRadio reported Thursday night that Temple founder Sean Kohmescher sent a subsequent email to staff saying “The email should never have been sent out, and I had it sent out without consulting anyone” (emphasis added).

As a result of the furor, Kohmescher said that he would be “‘stepping aside’ from his role in the company.” Via Instagram, Temple has since announced “Our company supports our team members’ choice to wear face coverings and will be providing face coverings for team members to use while working.”

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