ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – Amid rising COVID-19 numbers, the Cayuga Health System is returning to mandatory masking.

Effective at midnight, masks will be required for staff, visitors, and patients in all Cayuga Health facilities, except for when eating and drinking. COVID-19 testing will continue for all patients admitted to the hospital.

Officials say the decision is based on the prevalence of the new subvariant. Locally, there’s been an increased amount of the virus found in wastewater, an increase in local positive cases, and a notable increase in positive cases among hospital staff.

However, the number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 has remained stable. CHS officials hope these measures will maintain stability.