New York City, the Big Apple, saw its COVID-19 alert
level rise from “medium” to “high” Tuesday as rising cases threatened to put
pressure on the city’s healthcare infrastructure. COVID-19 cases have been on
the rise in New York City for the last two months, driven by various
sub-variants of Omicron. The colour-coded alert system, that came into force in
March, called for raising the alert to “high” or orange, although not much has
changed in the government’s response or public perception.

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NYC mayor Eric Adams said Monday the city was nearing
a threshold but added that “we’re not at the point of mandating masks.” Over
3,500 COVID-19 infections have been reported in New York City over the last few
days. This number is regarded to be far below the actual mark because of
at-home tests which don’t get reported to authorities. State data indicates
nearly 130 hospitalisations in New York City every day.

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New York City has seen four waves of COVID-19 infection
so far. This, the wave that began mid-March, is the fifth. The first Omicron
wave in NYC saw nearly 30% of the city infected, according to research by the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), putting immense strain on
hospitals as sick patients filled emergency rooms.

Health experts are worried that it might be time for
the city to deploy a mask mandate. The “high” level alert allows the city mayor
to reinstate a mask mandate, including in schools. But the city government is
not ready to take that step yet.

NYC health commissioner Dr Ashwin Vasan issued a
statement Tuesday asking New Yorkers to take their own precautionary steps. “New
York City has transitioned to a high COVID alert level, meaning now is the time
to double down on protecting ourselves and each other by making choices that
can keep our friends, neighbours, relatives and co-workers from getting sick,”
he said.

A day earlier, the commissioner had issued an advisory
recommending medical-grade masks in offices and other public indoor settings.