Republican state Sen. Buck Newton (NC) is pushing legislation in the North Carolina legislature that would repeal a COVID-era provision allowing the broad use of masks for health and safety purposes.

Masks were widely used during the pandemic, especially in 2020 and early 2021, but as the health crisis continued, their effectiveness in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 was widely questioned. Face masks have seen a resurgence in use during the various anti-Israel campus protests. Newton, who spearheaded House Bill 237, said the bill is not just about recent protests, but is about repealing an outdated COVID-era change to state law.

“The pandemic has been over for a long time. And, we’ve had a lot of instances of people concerned about people hiding their identities,” Newton said, per WNCT.

“This isn’t just about protests. I think it’s clear that people are seizing the opportunity to do things they’re not supposed to do, break the law, or to intimidate people,” he added.

The bill would remove exceptions for “the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others” in various instances where a person may be required by law to remove a mask obscuring someone’s face.

Also included in the legislation is stricter penalties for protesters who block traffic, along with tougher penalties for those who commit a crime while “wearing a mask or other clothing or device to conceal or attempt to conceal the defendant’s identity.”

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In other states, including New York, there has been discussion about reinstating mask bans that were repealed in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic.

The North Carolina bill was introduced to the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and could be voted on by the committee as early as next week.