With the recent increase in COVID-19 infection rate in New York, health officials are urging travelers to take extra precautions before meeting with friends and family, such as getting tested for COVID-19 and wearing masks while traveling.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently extended its mask mandate on public transportation through May 3, as state health officials are citing two new subvariants of COVID-19.

The subvariants are believed to have mutated from BA.2, which is a subvariant of the Omicron variant. These subvariants reportedly spread faster than Omicron and are a key contributor to rising cases across the state.

In the last two weeks, New York state has seen an 86% increase in the seven-day average, according to the New York State Department of Health.