Mask mandates are being reintroduced due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations caused by variant EG.5.
Various institutions such as Kaiser Permanente in California, Rutgers University in New Jersey, Morris Brown College in Georgia, and Upstate Medical hospitals in Syracuse, New York, as well as Hollywood studio Lionsgate, have reinstated mask mandates.
The CDC advises high-risk individuals and areas with significant hospitalizations to wear masks. Hospitalization rates are still regarded as low, and the CDC reports that the EG.5 variant is the most common. Wastewater levels have shown a doubling of infections, necessitating renewed mask measures.