AMSTERDAM - The Dutch Upper House of parliament on Tuesday passed a law banning the wearing of face-covering veils in public buildings, such as schools, government offices and hospitals.

The Lower House approved the bill in 2016, after attempts to impose a more general ban on burqas and other face-covering veils failed.

The new law bans all face-covering garb, including for instance motor helmets and ski-masks, in public buildings, but not on the street.

The law is billed as a way to make schools, hospitals and public transport safer, but critics say its only aim is to get rid of Islamic veils, such as the burqa and niqab.