New York's Nassau County officially bans wearing face masks in public

Nassau County, New York, banned the use of face masks in public places on Wednesday, becoming the first county in the country to officially ban the pandemic-era coverings.

Face masks, which were mandated during the COVID-19 pandemic, were used by college students and protesters at the end of last school year to hide their faces after dozens of anti-Israel demonstrations broke out on college campuses.  

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed the bill into law during a news conference, which includes exemptions for health and religious reasons. The ban will affect part of the New York City suburb of Long Island, and goes into effect immediately.

"Mayor Eric Adams has been very vocal that he’d like the New York City council to pass a similar legislation," Blakeman said in the news conference, per NBC News. "This is not an abridgment of anybody’s rights. Nobody has a constitutional right to hide their identity in public."

The mask ban is intended to help crack down on crimes, and help police identify criminals that typically use face masks when committing robberies and carjackings. However, opponents of the new law claim it infringes on the rights of people who want to protest peacefully but conceal their identity while doing so.

“Masks protect people who express political opinions that are controversial,” Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County Regional Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. “Officials should be supporting New Yorkers’ right to voice their views, not fueling widespread doxxing and threatening arrests."

She continued: “Masks also protect people’s health, especially at a time of rising COVID rates, and make it possible for people with elevated risk to participate in public life. We should be helping people make the right choice for themselves and their loved ones — not letting the government exile vulnerable people from society."

Residents who violate the county law will now face a misdemeanor charge that's punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

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