The first version of the bill would have imposed a total ban on wearing masks in public, which lawmakers said was intended to crack down on criminals who wear them to hide their identities.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Lawmakers reached a compromise on a controversial mask bill Thursday, agreeing to add an exemption.
From now on, for health reasons, people will be permitted to wear masks in public places.
The first version of the bill would have banned wearing masks in public altogether, and lawmakers said the measure was aimed at cracking down on criminals who wear masks to hide their identities.
Republican supporters say one of the catalysts for the legislation was the widespread wearing of masks by people protesting Israel's war in Gaza on college campuses across the country, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Before the compromise was passed, the bill would have eliminated a 2020 exemption for people who wear masks in public for health reasons, infuriating Democrats who said it could unfairly target immunocompromised people.
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