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Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced a new set of precautionary measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 amid a “very substantial” increase in virus cases in recent days.
During a press conference in Prospect Park, the mayor rolled out a six-part plan that includes increasing the number of testing sites in the Big Apple and distributing KN95 masks to New Yorkers.
“We have seen very substantial increases COVID cases in the last few days,” he said Thursday afternoon. “It is clear that the Omicron variant is here in New York City in full force.”
De Blasio also noted, however, that city hospitals are “doing a remarkable job handling cases” and that the Big Apple is not experiencing “the worst outcomes” on hospital capacity.
To keep the virus at bay, City Hall plans to “immediately” distribute 1 million free KN95 masks, 500,000 rapid at-home coronavirus tests, begin a paid media campaign to encourage New Yorkers to receive booster shots and start “doubling down” on inspections to ensure businesses follow de Blasio’s COVID-19 policies like Gov. Kathy Hochul’s vax-or-mask requirement and the “Key to NYC” program for indoor venues.
“We’ll have inspectors going out full force starting tomorrow to make sure there’s a high level of compliance with each of those mandates,” he said.
Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city’s top doctor, warned of “alarming” COVID-19 transmission trends, noting the seven-day positivity average for new virus cases has tripled over the last month.
“The data that we monitor so closely is showing an alarming trend. Omicron is here in New York City and it is spreading quickly,” he said. “I do expect cases will continue to increase in the coming days.”
Chokshi’s new guidance detailed in a commissioner’s order includes wearing masks, particularly the heavier-filtering KN95 ones while indoors, frequent testing and promotes outdoor holiday gatherings when feasible.
The news comes after Dr. Jay Varma, City Hall’s top health advisor, early Thursday raised concern about the uptick in cases, as the positivity rate in the five boroughs jumped from 3.9 percent to 7.8 percent in three days.
“Um, we’ve never seen this before in #NYC,” he tweeted. “Test positivity doubling in three days.”
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