A new statewide mask mandate will be taking effect Monday amid concerns about the omicron variant.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week that she's reimplementing the requirement that everyone, including employees, wear masks in public places that don't require proof of full vaccination.

The governor says her decision was based on mounting concerns over New York's weekly COVID-19 case rate and the increasing numbers of hospitalizations.

Hochul says individual businesses can decide if they want to have a mask or vaccine requirement.