We strongly urge Governor Hochul to end her pursuit of a mask ban. 

Even with exemptions, this proposal would harm immunocompromised and other disabled people, put police officers in the unenviable position of having to determine who is wearing a mask for health (or religious) reasons, and unnecessarily create confrontations between mask wearers and self-appointed vigilantes on New York’s subways, streets and stores. 

While a proposed ban is purportedly intended to make it easier to find lawbreakers who seek to hide their identify, we note that the most recent cases of people wearing masks or covering their faces to hide their identity are U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

For example, the ICE agents who recently abducted Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts Ph.D. student, outside her apartment near Boston hid their faces, as The Associated Press reported: “Video obtained by The Associated Press appeared to show six people, all but one with their faces covered, taking away a shouting Ozturk’s phone before she was handcuffed on Tuesday.”

Lawbreakers, no matter who they represent, will continue to mask their faces with or without a ban. Meanwhile, disabled and other New Yorkers, still faced with the real threat of Covid, RSV and flu, will suffer if there is one. 

—————————

BCID is a disability-led independent living center, providing services and advocating for disabled people in Brooklyn and beyond. For more information, contact Joe Rappaport, 646-284-1078.