A return to an indoor mask mandate is not under consideration at this point, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said, while COVID-19 cases have risen across New York driven by a surge in a variation of the omicron strain of COVID-19. 

Still, despite the rise in cases and cases per 100,000 people, the hospitalizations in New York have not sharply increased so far this season.  

"The numbers are not nearly what they're used to be," Hochul said. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended a return to masking in nearly two dozen counties in New York state as the BA.2 strain of the virus has led to a rise in cases. A wintertime surge of COVID-19 resulted in state officials urging New Yorkers to get booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and require masking indoors. 

Masking is still required in some public settings, such as mass transit in the state as well as homeless shelters, jails and public hospitals.