Wearing a mask in North Carolina would remain legal for public health reasons, under a bill the state Legislature sent to the governor Wednesday.
Lawmakers approved an exemption to a state ban on masks and hoods enacted in 1953 to fight the Ku Klux Klan. The Legislature had temporarily eased the prohibition in May in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but set the ban to be reinstated Aug. 1.
The bill (S.B. 232), which now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper (D) for his consideration, still will prohibit wearing masks to conceal identities. The state House approved the measure ...