Nassau County, New York, signs first face covering ban into law

A controversial ban on wearing face coverings in public was signed into law on Wednesday in Nassau County, New York — the first ban of its kind in the nation.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed the bill Wednesday morning during a news conference. Nassau County covers part of Long Island, just east of New York City.

The ban, which has exemptions for health and religious reasons, is touted as a public safety measure meant to target those who commit crimes while wearing face coverings.

Those who violate the law face a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Earlier this month Legislator Howard Kopel said the measure was introduced in response to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks” since the Oct. 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Blakeman called the legislation Wednesday a “bill that protects the public.”

He noted that in the protests that unfolded at nearby Columbia University in Manhattan earlier this year, people wearing masks allegedly engaged in antisemitic and violent acts. It was part of a wave of protests at American college campuses decrying the Israel-Hamas war and expressing solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The bill goes beyond protecting cultural groups. Blakeman said that it will curb crime and address face-covering-wearing criminals who commit robberies and carjackings.

However, opponents of the legislation argued that it poses a risk for those who want to peacefully protest while concealing their identity. 

The bill has also been criticized from local law makers. 

The county’s Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement Wednesday the decision to sign the law “is nothing more than political theater and a blatant waste of taxpayer money.”

“This law is destined to be struck down in court, further tarnishing Blakeman’s already losing record of lawsuits,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “It’s deeply disappointing that Blakeman and his Republican colleagues chose to ignore any opportunity for bipartisan compromise or even consider the Democratic bill — a bill that upholds the rule of law, offers a fairer approach for residents, and imposes firmer penalties on actual offenders.” 

The New York Civil Liberties Union slammed the mask ban as an infringement on free speech rights.

“Masks protect people who express political opinions that are controversial,” Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County Regional Director of the NYCLU, said in a statement Wednesday.

“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,” she added.

“Nassau County’s officials should be safeguarding rights and liberties, not scoring political points at the expense of New Yorkers,” she said.

Blakeman, a Republican, stressed the legislation is a bipartisan effort.

“Mayor Eric Adams has been very vocal that he’d like the New York City council to pass a similar legislation,” he said.