NEW YORK – Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Wednesday signed a controversial new bill banning the wearing of masks in public places except in cases of religious, health or cultural necessity.
The ban, the first of its kind in the United States with the goal of increasing public safety, goes into effect immediately. The bill was passed earlier this month by the Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature on Long Island. Supporters say it will prevent violent protesters from concealing their identities.
Lawmaker Howard Kopel said the measure was introduced in response to “anti-Semitic incidents, often perpetrated by people wearing masks” since the start of the latest war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
All 12 Republicans in the legislature voted in favor of the measure, while the body’s seven Democrats abstained.
County lawmakers acted after New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said in June that she was considering banning masks on the New York City subway system. No specific plans have been announced to enforce such a ban, which, like the Nassau measure, was lifted in response to a rise in mask-wearing protesters.
The New York Civil Liberties Union criticized Nassau’s mask ban, calling it an infringement on the right to freedom of expression.
“Masks protect people who express controversial political opinions,” Susan Gottehrer, the group’s Nassau County regional director, said in a statement. “Authorities should support New Yorkers’ right to express their opinions, not encourage broad disclosure of sensitive information and threaten arrest.”
“Masks also protect people’s health, especially at a time when COVID-19 rates are rising, and allow people at higher risk to continue participating in public life,” she added. “We should help people make the right decisions for themselves and their loved ones, not allow the government to exclude vulnerable people from society.”
Nassau’s bill makes wearing a mask to conceal one’s identity in public a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The measure exempts people who wear masks for health reasons, safety, “religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a similar religious or cultural holiday or event for which masks or face coverings are customarily worn.”
Nassau County Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton called the law a waste of taxpayer money.
“This law is destined to be overturned in court, further worsening Blakeman’s already negative litigation record,” DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement Wednesday. “It is deeply disappointing that Blakeman and his Republican colleagues have chosen to ignore any opportunity for bipartisan compromise or even consideration of the Democratic bill, a bill that upholds the rule of law, provides a fair approach for residents, and places harsh sanctions on actual offenders.
