Should NYC have a renewed mask ban? This question is weighing on the minds of many New Yorkers lately.

As masked individuals continue to participate in protests, sometimes leading to public disorder, and concerns rise over the anonymity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who don face coverings during operations near immigrant communities and courts, New Yorkers are at a crossroads on whether they want elected officials to pursue a full-on public mask ban.

It has been a complex, years-long debate in both City Hall and Albany. Those passionate about the cause say the freedom to wear a mask in public pits concerns over public safety and crime prevention against the public health and civil liberty protections that emerged during the pandemic era.

Historically, New York pro

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