Republicans in the North Carolina Senate have passed a bill prohibiting the wearing of masks in public places and repealing the exception to existing state law, passed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, that allowed masks to be worn in public for health and safety reasons.
Supporters of the bill argued that protestors are using the mask exception to hide their identities from law enforcement. The bill would increase the severity of the charges for anyone arrested for protesting while wearing a mask. Since the 1950s, North Carolina has banned public masking to discourage membership in the Ku Klux Klan.
Democratic State Senators expressed concerns about the bill and proposed amendments that would allow exceptions for people with health concerns. Sen. Sydney Batch (D) shared her experience that, during her cancer treatment, those close to her wore masks to protect her compromised immune system. Republicans refused to accept the proposed amendments.
UPDATE: The State Senate approved the bill in a 30-14 veto override vote along party lines, following a veto by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.