Nov 29th, 12:44pm
New York City imposed an updated mask advisory Monday that strongly recommends people wear masks indoors, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced, the first instance of new local Covid-19 measures being enacted in the U.S.
People wearing facemasks are walking near Herald Square in New York.
The images are from the same source.
The advisory encourages mask-wearing in public indoor settings, but does not require people to wear masks.
The city would double down on its vaccine effort, which has been the focus of its recent efforts against Covid-19, but also needed other tools to face the new threat of the omicron variant.
No Covid-19 cases have yet been reported in New York City, but the city expects to detect cases in the coming days.
New York lifted its mask mandate in June, but de Blasio has so far refused to reimpose it, saying that masks can be helpful, but don't change the basic reality.
Eric Adams said during the press conference that he and de Blasio would be following the same approach to Covid-19.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in response to the omicron variant, which allows hospitals in the state to limit non-urgent care if needed.
The omicron variant's arrival comes after mask mandates across the country have recently been lifted as the delta variant surge subsided. The White House imposed a travel ban from some countries in southern Africa last week, but President Joe Biden said during an address on the variant Monday that he doesn't believe there will be a need for lockdown measures if people wear masks and get vaccinations. On Good Morning America Monday, Dr. Fauci said that no further federal Covid-19 restrictions are expected immediately, but that new measures could be imposed in the future. Fauci said on Sunday that it was too early to say if the new variant would need to be locked down.
The key background.
The omicron variant was detected in southern Africa last week, sparking concerns and new restrictions around the world, with many countries closing their borders entirely. The United Kingdom moved to require masks in public transportation after detecting two cases of the variant. Public health experts are concerned about the possibility that omicron could be more resistant to vaccines, given its high number of mutations, and the World Health Organization has designated it a "variant of concern". More data about the variant is expected in the coming weeks, with more time needed to determine more information. The United Kingdom, South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Italy and Australia are some of the countries where cases of omicron have been reported. Fauci believes that the strain will spread in the US and that the first cases in Canada were reported Monday.
Fauci says there will be no new federal covid restrictions immediately.
Travel restrictions, stocks down, and what to know about Omicron.
The first cases of Omicron variant were found in North America.
New York declares a state of emergency.
Coverage and live updates on the coronaviruses.
