Mayor Eric Adams says that city businesses should require patrons unmask as a condition of entry in order to deter robberies, by ensuring people are recognizable on surveillance cameras.
The comments echo those made by top police officials even as the NYPD acknowledges retail theft is on the decline.
While the calls are just that, and don’t carry the force of law, they nonetheless represent an extraordinary new phase of city policy towards the COVID-19 pandemic, likely the first time in three years officials suggest in some capacity that New Yorkers take off their masks. New York eased most of its mask mandates in the past year, but has mainly left masking up to personal discretion.
