North Carolina Lawmakers Revise Anti-Crime Mask Bill to Add Health Exception

The ‘Various Criminal and Election Law Changes’ bill passed in a 69–43 vote and now heads to the desk of Gov. Roy Cooper.

People wearing face masks walk along a street in Brooklyn, New York City, on October 7, 2020. Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times

North Carolina lawmakers have revised a bill that increases penalties for criminals who wear masks while committing a crime, clarifying that those who wear masks for health reasons will not be punished.

The first version of House Bill 237, titled “Unmasking Mobs and Criminals,” removed the COVID-19-era exemption from a previous mask law that allowed people to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.