New York City health officials said Friday all New Yorkers should wear high-quality face masks indoors and near crowds due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Driving the news: "We're currently seeing high levels of COVID-19 in NYC," the city's Department of Health said in a tweet recommending N95, KN95 or KF94 masks for the public.

State of play: The city's COVID positivity rate has risen to 14%, which is the highest level since January, CBS News reports.

What they're saying: "A new variant, new variants, are finding their way into the city," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. "And as it comes about, as they come about, we continue to pivot and shift."

The big picture: The recent COVID surge has been tied to a subvariant of omicron known as BA.5, the most transmissible subvariant yet, Axios' Tina Reed writes.