The New York City Department of Health issued an advisory Friday urging residents to wear a mask in certain situations amid “high levels of COVID-19, flu and RSV.”
In a press release Friday, the New York City Department of Health said “high-quality masks” should be worn when “indoors and in crowded outdoor settings.”
The notice states that “everyone must wear a mask” when “in an indoor public setting, including inside stores, offices, lobbies, hallways, elevators, public transportation, schools, day care centers, and other shared public spaces.”
“The holiday season is about being together and there is a way to come together safely, even when respiratory viruses in our city are unusually high,” said health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “It starts with protecting yourself. Vaccination and boosters are critical, but so are common-sense precautions like wearing a mask when indoors or in crowds and staying home if you’re not feeling well. Also, do yourself test before meeting and get treatment quickly if positive. We want everyone to have a happy and above all healthy holiday.”
LOS ANGELES COVID CASES RISE, BUT COUNTY STOPS MASK MANDATE
New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan speaks to members of the media during a news conference ahead of the opening of a mass monkeypox vaccination site at the Bushwick Education Campus in Brooklyn on July 17, 2022 in New York City. – New York, on the east coast of the United States, has already administered or scheduled 21,500 vaccinations and hopes to speed up the process, promising more than 30,000 injections for the entire state.
(Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)
While New York City is putting off a mask mandate, Los Angeles County is considering reinstating its mask mandate, having recently re-entered the federal government’s “high” activity category for the COVID-19.
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said the case rate is increasing 6% every day.
FDA AUTHORIZES BIVALENT COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINES FOR CHILDREN UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE
A man, wearing a protective face mask, walks as others wait on a street corner where a man sleeps on a sidewalk, outside a subway station, in the New York City borough of Queens, USA, April 18, 2022.
(Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
Ferrer said the department would issue a mask order if the percentage of COVID-19 patients reaches 10% and if the county remains under “high” COVID-19 activity for two consecutive weeks.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Eagle Rock, CA – August 30: Dr. Barbara Ferrer, center, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
According to FOX 11, the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients is 6.9%.
Julia Musto of Fox News contributed to this report.
