Following a rise in cases of COVID, seasonal flu and other respiratory illness, hospitals in at least four U.S. states have reinstated mask mandates

These include Healthcare facilities in New York, California, Illinois and Massachusetts which have made masks mandatory among patients and providers.

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan says mask mandates have resumed at all 11 of the city’s public hospitals, 30 health centers and five long-term care facilities.

The most recent weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there have been over 29,000 hospitalizations from COVID across the U.S. from Dec. 17-23, and over 14,700 flu hospitalizations in that same period.