Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams consider limiting masks on the NYC subway

Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering at least a partial ban on masks on New York subways and appears to have the support of Mayor Eric Adams.

At a news conference Thursday in Albany, the governor said she and Adams discussed what a proactive crackdown on masks might look like after images and videos of unrecognizable anti-Israel protesters on a train car Metro have raised concerns that some face coverings may serve a different purpose than they did at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is also concern that common criminals are hiding their identities.

“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to avoid responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said Thursday. “My team is working on a solution, but in a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”

On WABC radio, Mayor Adams said he supports Hochul’s call to rethink masks in public spaces and return the city to its pre-COVID standards.

“I think it’s time to get back to what it was,” Adams said.

He specifically mentioned “cowards” at protests who wear masks “to do something shameful.”

An anti-loitering law banning masks in public spaces was passed in 1845, according to Gothamist. Compromises on this legislation were passed over a century later to curb the spread of COVID in 2020. The city decided to make masks optional in September 2022.

Hochul does not appear to have any plans to ban masks altogether, noting that face-wearing for religious purposes, for holidays and for health reasons might merit exemptions. The CDC also warns that COVID has not gone away.

“I assure everyone that we understand how complex this issue is,” Hochul said.