With COVID, flu and other respiratory illnesses on the rise, the NYC public hospital system is bringing back masking requirements.
The mandate applies to anyone entering New York H + H hospitals, community health centers, and nursing homes. It went into effect just after Christmas.
“As we’ve seen an increase in COVID, flu, and RSV this is really to protect our patients, staff, and the community,” said Christopher Miller, spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals.
Citywide data shows that COVID hospitalizations rates have been climbing, hitting 106 hospitalizations on Dec. 20. The hardest hit neighborhoods in the city are East New York in Brooklyn, Mott Haven/Port Morris in the Bronx and Silver Lake/St. George on Staten Island.
Other states, including Illinois, California and Massachusetts are also asking staff, patients and visitors to mask up.
Respiratory illnesses tend to surge in the fall and winter months. In September, the CDC warned of another “tripledemic” — when cases flu, RSV and COVID infect more people and overwhelm hospitals and health clinics.
This most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows New York City reached the “very high” level of respiratory illness. This is the highest level on the CDC’s scale.
The CDC determines the level of flu activity by counting the number of people who report to a healthcare facility with a fever plus a cough or sore throat.
Other private hospital systems are holding off on mandates — at least, for now.
Joe Kemp, a spokesperson for Northwell Health, said that the healthcare system is not currently requiring masks in most cases, although it is “always evaluating.”
Most hospitals only require masks for people who have respiratory symptoms or will interact with immunocompromised patients.
Possibility contributing to the spike is low booster uptake — while over 80% of New Yorkers have received their first jab, just 18% of the total population has received the bivalent booster, according to the New York Times.
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
