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The politicians in Nassau County, Long Island, enacted a sweeping ban face maskssparking heated debates and concerns.
On Monday (Aug. 5), the Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature passed the Mask Transparency Act, which was introduced to combat “anti-Semitic incidents, often perpetrated by those wearing masks” since the attack on Israel by Hamas last October. The bill, which passed on a 12-0 vote with all seven Democrats in the Legislature abstaining, makes wearing a mask a misdemeanor punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. The ban allows for health and religious exemptions and applies to anyone over 16. The bill is set to be signed into law by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. It comes as New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hotchul are weighing bans on masks in public places.
The transparency mask law was introduced by Republican politician Mazi Melesa Pilip, who cited pro-Palestinian anti-war protests in Gaza, where demonstrators wore face coverings. “I've been to CUNY, Columbia, local high schools, community meetings, rallies in Great Neck,” he said. “I've heard people speak loud and clear. They want this to happen.” Congressman Anthony D'Esposito distracted sentiment at Monday's meeting, saying, “It is vital that these protesters take off the masks, come out of the darkness and come into the light, which I believe will prevent them from committing violence.”
Democratic politicians and political libertarians denounced the ban. “Nassau County's mask ban is a dangerous misuse of the law to score political points and target protesters,” the Nassau County regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union wrote in a statement, which ended with: The so-called health exemptions and religious exemptions to the ban are completely inadequate: “Nassau County police officers are not health professionals or religious experts qualified to decide who needs a mask and who doesn't.”
That sentiment was echoed by opponents during Monday's legislative session, where protesters clashed verbally with lawmakers. An unidentified woman was escorted out and arrested by Nassau County police. “You have chosen to engage in a culture war without recognizing that you are feeding directly into a very dangerous demon,” said Kiana Abbady, who then cut her microphone and was ushered out.
