New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has reinstated an indoor mask mandate that will be effective from Dec. 13 to Jan. 15, 2022, in an effort to mitigate the spread of the Omicron variant.

Hochul said businesses already requiring customers to prove their vaccination status are exempt from the order. New York City has a similar mandate in place for bars, restaurants and gyms. Noncompliant businesses are subject to a maximum $1,000 fine and local health departments will enforce the mandate.

"We shouldn't have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers' frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet," Hochul said.

Hochul has called her efforts a “temporary measure” to get through the holiday season.

CNBC reported the state’s weekly seven-day COVID infection average has spiked 43% since Thanksgiving and hospitalizations have risen 29%. Vaccination rates are on the rise in the Empire State with 92.1% of the population having had at least one dose while 69.3% of the population, including children, are fully vaccinated. The governor, a Democrat, noted 500,000 booster doses were distributed in the state within the past week. Hochul said the recent increase in vaccinations is not fast enough to slow the spread of the virus, particularly in communities of color.

New York hospitals have suffered staffing shortages which have led to Hochul suspending elective procedures at seven hospitals in the western part of the state. New York state health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said vaccinations are necessary to slow the spread of Omicron but the dominant strain is still the Delta variant.

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