"This time last year, the drop in temperatures and increase in travel and indoor gatherings around the holiday season contributed to a massive spike in COVID infections as the Omicron variant circulated. We cannot passively repeat the patterns of the past.
"With COVID cases again increasing, compounded with RSV and the seasonal flu, now is a moment to take additional precautions to limit spread ahead of and during the holidays. I commend state and city health officials for recommending masks – which are an important tool in preventing each of these three illnesses – in schools and other indoor public spaces. Wearing a high quality, non-cloth mask in crowded, high risk situations remains a simple, effective way for families to stay healthy ahead of and throughout the holidays. In addition, I want to strongly encourage those who have not yet done so to get the updated vaccine booster, as well as the flu shot, and recommend frequent COVID tests.
"A spike in cases, and the suffering that entails, is not inevitable. We may have to live with the realities of COVID, but that doesn’t mean ignoring it."