Nassau County Mask Ban Signed into Law

NASSAU COUNTY – Today Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed into law a mask ban that criminalizes the wearing of face coverings in public spaces, with inadequate exceptions for health and religious purposes. People who police find in violation of the law will face up to a year of jail time as well as a $1,000 dollar fine. Nationwide, mask bans have been recently used to target pro-Palestine protestors.

In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attributable to Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County Regional Director of the NYCLU: 

“Once again Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has chosen to chase a culture war over protecting the rights and well-being of his own residents.”

“We’ll say it again: masks protect people who express political opinions that are controversial. Officials should be supporting New Yorkers’ right to voice their views, not fueling widespread doxxing and threatening arrests. 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.”

“The ban’s so-called health and religious exceptions will result in police officers — who are not medical or religious experts, but who do have a track record of racially-biased enforcement — to determine who needs a mask and who doesn’t, and who goes to jail.”

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

Read the NYCLU’s Interested Parties Memo on Mask Bans here and below: