Mask law in effect

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed the Mask Transparency Act into law on Wednesday, a controversial law that bans the wearing of non-religious and non-health-related face coverings in public spaces. 

The law, one of the first of its kind in the state, took effect immediately. It aims to enhance public safety by preventing people from concealing their identities, particularly when they may be committing crimes. But the legislation has sparked significant debate and concern among residents. 

Blakeman said the law provides police with another resource allowing them to make a decision to gauge whether someone is engaged in a legitimate activity or not.

“We do not want to abridge anybody’s right to free speech and protest, that is a part of the fabric of our nation, and we wouldn’t want to change that,” Blakeman said after signing the bill into law Wednesday morning. “But when people take liberties that hurt other people’s rights and abridge their constitutional rights and threaten them with violence those are situations that we can not tolerable and they’re not consistent with the United States constitution.”

The Mask Transparency Act has reignited the debate over the balance between public safety and individual rights, a contentious issue that arose during the coronavirus pandemic. Proponents of the law argue that it will help reduce crime by making it harder for people to hide their identities, while opponents fear it could lead to unwarranted stops and arrests.