"Shoppers Remove Masks" - New York City Struggles with Rising Pickpocketing

"When Entering the Store, You Must Remove Them... Rewear Upon Entry"

The city of New York is struggling with a surge in petty thefts, and as a countermeasure, it has banned wearing masks when entering stores.

On the 6th (local time), according to the New York Times and others, New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on the local radio station 1010-WINS and announced this policy. He said, "We will not allow people to enter stores without removing their masks," adding, "Once inside the store, they can put their masks back on."

This is related to the recent increase in robbers and thieves in New York. Earlier, on the 3rd, in Manhattan, a black-masked armed robber broke into a store, killed the 67-year-old owner with a firearm, and stole valuables.

He emphasized, "These kinds of people wear masks not because of the pandemic but because they fear the police," and added, "We must prevent them from abusing the pandemic safety measures by wearing masks to commit crimes." He further stated, "If someone violates this rule, they should be monitored."

Jeffrey Maddrey, the New York Police Department Commissioner, also stressed at a press conference last week, "Thieves are avoiding surveillance cameras by wearing masks." He pointed out, "People are entering stores wearing masks or hoodies, and for this reason, theft incidents are frequent."

However, the New York Times expressed concern, stating, "Mayor Adams' proposal is sure to anger not only those who continue to wear masks in public places as the COVID-19 pandemic persists but also those at high risk of severe illness if infected with the coronavirus."

Meanwhile, New York was one of the areas severely affected by casualties during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. However, as in-store thefts rapidly increased across the United States after the pandemic, causing growing losses for retailers, public opinion has spread in favor of banning mask-wearing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.