NYC mayor suggests banning shoppers for wearing masks

New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday suggested retailers ban shoppers who refuse to remove their face masks when entering stores.

Adams made the suggestion as part of a new initiative by the city to combat crime and identify shoplifters.

“Do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face mask and then once they’re inside they can continue to wear if they so desire to do so,” said Adams in a Monday interview with 1010-WINS.

“When you see these mask-wearing people, oftentimes it’s not about being fearful of the pandemic. It’s fearful of the police catching [them] for their deeds,” he added.

Adams’ remarks are an about-face from his prior policies, which imposed mask mandates as an exercise in controlling public behavior.  

Just after he assumed office in January 2022 Adams said he would continue to force school children to wear masks even after a Long Island judge ruled against Governor Kathy Hochul’s statewide mask mandates.

“I believe it’s unfortunate that it was struck down, and I believe those jurisdictions that are using it as an opportunity to remove mandates are making a big mistake. We need to follow the science, not the fears that is [sic] actually coming with this virus,” he told 1010-WINS then. “We’re going to continue our mandates in schools.”

On March 7, 2022, Adams began allowing children in grades K-12 to come to school without wearing masks, though he ensured that there were enough masks for anyone who still wished to wear them.

“[W]e will continue to make the proper public health decisions to keep our kids safe, including making masks available for any child or school staff member who wishes to continue wearing them,” Adams said in a statement.

Pre-K children, however, were forced to remain masked until the summer.

According to Adams’ regulations, even adults over 80 years old, immunocompromised or have severe comorbidities such as obesity, were not required to wear masks. Children under five years old, however, who are among the lowest risk for COVID-19, were made to wear masks in school. 

The mayor’s reason, according to Politico, was that children up to age five were not eligible to be vaccinated.