NEW YORK (PIX11) --- A mask mandate has gone into effect at New York City's 11 public hospitals amid a spike in COVID-19 and respiratory illness cases, officials said.
The policy was reinstated just after Christmas at NYC Health + Hospitals and also applies to nursing homes and community health centers, according to a hospital spokesperson. The group oversees 30 health centers and five long-term care facilities.
"As we’ve seen an increase in COVID, flu, and RSV this is really to protect our patients, staff, and the community," the spokesperson said.
COVID, RSV, and flu cases steadily rose in the last three months of 2023, according to the New York State Department of Health. RSV cases surpassed COVID-19 and flu during that time, officials said.
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