Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that he does not plan to reinstate the city-wide requirement to wear a mask despite the increase in COVID-19 cases, opting to focus on vaccinating more residents.
Calls have been made for the city to follow the lead of Los Angeles County, which announced last week that it will require the use of masks indoors amid a sharp increase in cases of the virus.
Among those who have made the appeal is Manhattan Councilor Mak Levine who has pointed to the high number of cases of the Delta variant of Covid as one of the reasons for ordering the use of masks again.
“Cases are increasing in New York (up 2x + in the last 2 weeks), driven by the delta,” Levine writes in a post on social media.
“The use of masks indoors in New York is decreasing: in delicatessens, stores, subways, cinemas, etc.”, adds the councilor. “We need to reverse this trend.”
“It’s time to renew the mandate for indoor masks, even for those who are vaccinated,” asks Levine.
Cases are rising in NYC (up 2x+ in past 2 weeks), driven by delta.
Indoor mask use in NYC is falling—in delis, stores, subways, movie theaters etc.
We need to reverse this trend.
It’s time to renew the indoor mask mandate, including for those who are vax’d.
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) July 17, 2021
De Blasio, however, insisted that vaccines are a better strategy for the most populous city in the country.
“Masks have value, no doubt, but masks do not go to the root of the problem. Vaccination does,” the mayor said. “So we have no intention of imposing a mask mandate. We do intend to redouble vaccination.”
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