CDC and NYC Mask Recommendations

Whether you’re attending holiday events at the office or with family and friends, this season can bring you into contact with many people. Unfortunately, it is also a time of high exposure to illnesses such as Covid, RSV and the flu.

IAPE believes it is important for our members to be aware of the numbers, so that you can make choices to protect yourselves and others around you.

CDC’s Covid-19 Community Levels have again reached “high” in New York City’s five boroughs, as well as in New York and New Jersey’s Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen and Passaic counties. At this alert level, the CDC recommends “high-quality (e.g., N95)” masks or respirators, and advises people who are high risk to “consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.”

The New York City Health Department also issued its own advisory last week urging “high-quality” (KN95, KF94 or N95) masks indoors and in crowded outdoor settings due to high levels of Covid-19, flu, and RSV. Additionally, the department recommends that people get vaccinated for Covid-19 and flu, using the bivalent Covid vaccine booster when eligible. The city also advises testing for Covid before and after gatherings, to wear a mask around those who are at risk, and to stay home if you are sick.

We know this data is out in the world, but we feel it’s particularly important to note—a significant number of IAPE members are themselves immunocompromised or otherwise at risk for serious illness or complications from Covid, or they live with or care for at-risk people.

While Dow Jones policy requires employees to stay home if they feel ill, we are also reaching out to ask you to consider wearing a mask in the office not just for your own protection, but as an act of care for your colleagues and their loved ones during this holiday season. After all, no one wants to miss out on Aunt Jodi’s famous eggnog for a third year.