Wearing Masks Illegal in New York's Nassau County

Lawmakers in New York's Nassau County approved a bill banning masks in public spaces, saying the move will help fight crime during protests.

The measure, which passed earlier this week and was headed to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's desk to sign, makes wearing a mask and concealing identity a misdemeanor that is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, ABC News reported.

Proponents for the bill in the suburban Long Island county say the measure was necessary after the protests in connection with the Israel-Hamas war.

Legislator Howard Kopel said during a public meeting about the mandate this week that the bill was brought about to respond to the "antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks" during the protests.

The ruling has exceptions that exempt people who are wearing face coverings for religious or health reasons, but says that masks that are worn otherwise are "often used as a predicate to harassing, menacing or criminal behavior."

Under the legislation, local law enforcement will have the right to demand that people remove their masks when there is a "reasonable suspicion of criminal activity or intention to partake in criminal activity," and during traffic stops.

Those who oppose the mask ban say the bill could open protesters to the threat of retaliation, as well as posing a health risk as COVID-19 has bounced back this summer.

"Nassau County's mask ban is a dangerous misuse of the law to score political points and target protestors," Susan Gottehrer, regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. "Making anonymous protest illegal chills political action and is ripe for selective enforcement, leading to doxxing, surveillance and retaliation against protesters."

The legislation was approved by a split decision, with 12 Republicans supporting it and seven opposed.

Blakeman, who is expected to sign the legislation, said Monday after the vote that people should not be allowed to cover their faces and hide their identity in public unless they have a medical or religious reason.

Meanwhile, Nassau County was deemed as the safest county in America, according to a new survey from U.S. News and World Report that showed it with a public safety score of 100.

The news comes after Republicans were elected to top positions in 2022, including with Blakeman as county executive.

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