Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday she is considering a partial ban on face masks in the subway after video of anti-Israel protesters wearing masks on a 5 train circulated on social media this week.
Hochul told reporters at a news conference in Albany that she is in talks with state lawmakers and Mayor Eric Adams about pursuing the mask ban due to concerns about people concealing their identity while committing antisemitic acts.
“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said. “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New York originally had a law on the books banning face masks in public, but it was repealed in 2020 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the Covid-19 pandemic. Until September 2022, the state required subway riders to wear masks to limit the spread of the virus. Civil liberties groups have previously raised concerns about the mask ban, arguing that it enabled law enforcement to criminalize peaceful protests in public spaces.
The potential ban comes amid a rise in Covid-19 cases locally and as a new variant called KP.3 has surged to dominance in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A reinstated ban, Hochul stressed, would include “common-sense exemptions” for religious and health reasons, as not to penalize people who wear face masks due to Covid-19 or poor air quality. Cultural events, such as Halloween, would also need to be taken into account.
The state Legislature would need to greenlight the measure, Hochul acknowledged Thursday. The governor added that she is in talks with lawmakers about drafting a bill, but the Legislature is not scheduled to return to Albany until January.
“We understand how complex this issue is,” Hochul said. “And we’re just listening to people and addressing their needs and taking them very seriously.”
Caroline Spivack , 2024-06-14 17:32:19
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