New York considers partial ban on face masks in NYC subways

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering a partial ban on face masks on the New York City subway on Thursday, amid concerns that protesters and criminals have opted to wear masks when engaging in illegal activity to help conceal their identities. 

North Carolina lawmakers recently passed a ban on face masks in public places, except for medical reasons. The main crux of the North Carolina ban was increasing punishments for people who wear masks while committing crimes and for people that block traffic during protests.

Hochul did not go into detail on what the ban would look like, but said there would be obvious caveats for things like health, cultural, and religious reasons.

“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said during a news conference, per the Associated Press. “My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”

New York previously passed a ban on wearing masks in public in the 1800s in response to protests over raising the price of rent. But former Gov. Andrew Cuomo suspended the ban in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, appeared to support Hochul's consideration of banning the masks on the subway, and in other public places on Thursday. Adams previously suggested that shopkeepers make people take off their masks in order to enter their stores, so they are more easily identifiable if they shoplift or commit some other crime.

“Cowards hide their faces. Dr. [Martin Luther] King did not hide his face,” Adams told 77 WABC’s “Cats & Cosby," according to the New York Post. “I agree with those who are calling for removal of the ban, not only for the protesters who are using vile language, but also for criminal behavior. Now is the time to go back to the way we were pre-COVID, where you should not be able to wear masks at protests."

The concern over masks comes after protesters donned the masks on a New York subway on Monday, and shouted antisemitic and pro-Hitler chants. The protesters were likely part of a larger demonstration in Union Square Park.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.