By: Benyamin Davidsons
New York City has plans for the holidays– but so does Omicron.
The much anticipated holiday season is upon us–but so are mask mandates for businesses, travel warnings, and pleas to get a booster shot. As per the NY Post, the five boroughs of New York City have been experiencing a surging of COVID-19 cases, with the contagious Omicron variant here among us. Health experts and politicians have been trying to raise awareness and urge New Yorkers to be vigilant.
“We don’t want to discourage people from gathering, but do what you know is smart, and keep those masks on when you’re with people if you don’t know if they’re vaccinated for sure,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a briefing Monday. “It’s also a reminder that we have to take the steps now that everybody we love is with us for the next holiday season,” Hochul said. “We have the power over that.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio has also expanded private-sector mask mandates, and is considering altering plans for New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Health officials are calling on New Yorkers to be “prudent” with holiday travel plans if they expect to come in contact with persons “vulnerable” to the virus.
As per the CDC, people traveling domestically by air will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test within three days, and for international travel to show a test from one day before the flight. Masks are required on all flights.
On Monday, NY state officials said they are sending 6 million masks to local counties for distribution, and will also send out 10 million do-it-yourself at-home COVID tests in the coming weeks. “This is good progress, but we still need more,” state Homeland Security Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said at a briefing Monday. “And we need more partnership with the federal government. We need them to help make sure that there are tests available.”
Officials are also urging people to test if they think they may be infected. Testing sites throughout the state have been overwhelmed, with testers experiencing long lines and delayed results. “We gotta do better if you want us to get tested and make us do our part. There should be three or four tents out here. We shouldn’t have to wait three hours,” said one Bushwick resident who waited 90 minutes at a Brooklyn testing site.
Health officials caution that Omicron is a lot more contagious than previous strains including Delta, however, symptoms appear to be mild.
