Nassau County mask ban is insane
Angelique Corthals, 51, of Stony Brook, and Philip Nolan, 70, of Merrick, protest the bill about face coverings at the Nassau County Legislature on Monday. Credit: Rick Kopstein
What in the world is Nassau County thinking? Making the wearing of masks in public for other than religious or medical reasons illegal is just another knee-jerk reaction and political grandstanding [“Nassau legislature approves face mask ban,” News, Aug. 6].
As a retired police officer, I understand the desire to identify criminals, but just as criminals will always get illegal guns, they will continue to mask up when committing crimes. This leaves police in a conundrum. Do they stop everyone with a mask and ask them to prove their religious identity or display a medical condition?
Saying the police would “know” the difference is ridiculous. Enforcement of this law would be almost impossible and even more dangerous due to an increase in public confrontations.
Many people without a medical condition, especially seniors, wear masks in public to prevent becoming ill.
Masked criminals have made police work difficult for a long time and will continue regardless if this becomes law. And this more difficult and dangerous job for police officers would increase an already tense police-community relationship.
— Jim Kiernan, Holbrook
As a family physician who served on the front line during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have enormous concern about the potential health and safety harms that a mask ban would have on our patients and communities [“Unmasking a bill to ban masks,” Editorial, July 28].
Masks protect us from viruses, pollution and allergens. A single virus, COVID, killed more than 80,000 in our state alone.
Masking remains an important tool to reduce transmission of viruses. Masks help keep New Yorkers safe during poor air quality events, like the Canadian wildfires.
Parents may wear masks when they have a baby at home who has not yet received all vaccinations. People undergoing treatment for cancer or other serious conditions may wear masks because of weakened immune systems.
The choice to wear a mask for one’s safety is a personal freedom. An individual who engages in unlawful actions should be judged on their behavior, not their attire.
Masks offer an opportunity for people to reduce community transmission, contribute to the economy, and participate in public life.
I emphatically oppose mask bans. Our representatives should have rejected them outright.
— Dr. Chelsea Faso, Wantagh
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. Just go to newsday.com/submitaletter and follow the prompts. Or email your opinion to letters@newsday.com. Submissions should be no more than 200 words. Please provide your full name, hometown, phone number and any relevant expertise or affiliation. Include the headline and date of the article you are responding to. Letters become the property of Newsday and are edited for all media. Due to volume, readers are limited to one letter in print every 45 days. Published letters reflect the ratio received on each topic.
