Lawmakers in a New York county passed a bill Monday restricting people from publicly wearing masks.
The Nassau County Legislature voted to approve the Mask Transparency Act, which bans anyone from wearing face coverings unless they are for health, safety, religious or celebratory reasons.
Anyone wearing a mask on public property and trying to abuse, threaten, harass or intimidate other people would face a misdemeanor if the bill is signed by County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
The charges, which carry up to a year’s worth of prison time and a maximum fine of $1,000, also apply to anyone trying to avoid being identified when acting in a way that could lead to time in court.
Supporters of the bill argue that people wearing masks for reasons other than those exempt from the ban do so before harassing or menacing. Blakeman is one of those supporters.
“Unless someone has a medical condition or a religious imperative, people should not be allowed to cover their face in a manner that hides their identity while in public,” Blakeman said in a statement obtained by Fox 5 New York.
Some of the act’s opponents claim it is a tactic used to crack down on protests.
“Concerns that masks disguise criminal activity must not be answered by banning anonymous protest. Police should respond to a person’s actions, not their attire,” Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County Regional Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.
Police would also be able to require anyone using face coverings to remove them if an officer suspects they will break the law. Gottehrer opposed the discretion afforded to police who would be enforcing the act.
“So-called health and religious exceptions are entirely inadequate: Nassau County police officers are not health professionals or religious experts capable of deciding who needs a mask and who doesn’t,” she said.
Nassau County is one of several juristictions that have banned face coverings. In December, Philadelphia approved a law that bars people from wearing ski-masks in parks, mass transit, schools, recreation centers, day cares and city-owned buildings.
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