New York City health officials downgraded the five boroughs’ COVID risk level to medium on Tuesday, just more than a month after it escalated the status to high as a fifth pandemic wave fueled by the most contagious variants yet gripped America.
The medium risk level means indoor masking is recommended when around others whose vaccination status isn’t known but it isn’t accompanied by any more stringent COVID protocol. The change had been expected for the last week and a half, since the city’s top doctor assured New Yorkers in a lengthy Twitter thread that the latest peak had passed and the mayor followed up by lifting the controversial toddler mask rule.
“Day after day, New Yorkers are stepping up and doing their part, and because of our collective efforts we are winning the fight against COVID-19,” Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Department of Health & Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a joint statement announcing the transition. “This surge has taught us a lot about how the virus is currently behaving, and how to prepare for the coming weeks and months.”