NYC Enters 'High' COVID Alert As Cases Rise

NEW YORK CITY — It's official: New York City is under "high" risk for COVID-19.

Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan announced the change in coronavirus alert status Tuesday morning — a day after city officials warned such a shift was imminent.

“New York City has transitioned to a high COVID alert level, meaning now is the time to double down on protecting ourselves and each other by making choices that can keep our friends, neighbors, relatives and coworkers from getting sick," Vasan said in a statement.

"High" alert means New Yorkers are strongly advised to wear masks in public indoor settings and crowded outdoor settings, the city's risk page states.

People are also urged to consider avoiding higher-risk activities such as crowded indoor settings, as well as test before and after traveling or getting together with others.

Just one month ago, the city's COVID-19 risk alert level stood at "low."

But the steady spread of highly contagious variants of omicron prompted health officials to shift the alert to "medium" — a designation that warns, rather than mandates, New Yorkers to exercise greater caution.

The city is averaging 3,500 cases a day — and increasing, according to data. Positivity stands at 9.11 percent, data shows.

Despite the higher cases, Mayor Eric Adams has said he doesn't anticipate a return to strict masking mandates.

"We’re not overwhelmed," he said Monday. "The number of cases in our hospitals are small, the number of deaths are small. We’re not at the point that we have to put the mandates in place."

But as the high alert became official Tuesday, Adams wasn't available to ask questions about potential restrictions because he was visiting Albany

Health officials Monday issued an advisory strongly recommending that New Yorkers wear masks in indoor settings. They also announced an additional 16.5 million at-home COVID-19 tests and one million high-quality masks will be distributed across the five boroughs over the next month.

Vasan said those measures, along with new treatments, will blunt the wave's impact.

"Getting back to Low Risk depends on everyone doing their part and if we follow guidance, our forecasts anticipate this wave’s peak will not last long," he said in a statement. "What we do now can make all the difference.”