New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that all New Year’s Eve revelers at Times Square will be required to wear masks. According to the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio, there will be less people viewing certain areas in order to facilitate social distancing.

This new requirement is in addition the vaccination requirement which was in effect for most attendees above five years of age.

De Blasio stated in a statement that “There’s a lot of celebration and these extra safety measures will keep everyone safe and healthy as the new year begins.”

New York City’s rising Covid case and positive rates is largely due to the omicron variation. The mayor made this announcement. A 15 percent Covid positivity rate was reported by the city on December 19. This five-percentage points increase over just four days earlier. World Health Organization estimatesOmicron cases are doubled every 1.5-to-3 days when there is high transmission in the community.

We know vaccination is key to preventing omicron. We also know boosters can be very effective in fighting the disease. The mayor spoke out at Wednesday’s press conference to inform reporters that health leaders in the country have made clear their position.

In the past, Times Square AllianceThe organization responsible for the New Year’s Eve party and ball dropped was expecting to demand proof that all participants over five have been fully vaccinated. Before vaccinations became readily available, they hosted an extremely small ball drop with social distancing for a considerably smaller audience.