New York’s Covid-19 hospitalizations have jumped by 70% since the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, prompting officials and businesses alike to reassess their policies in an attempt to blunt a winter virus surge and the onset of the new omicron variant. Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said that rise in hospitalizations across the state -- along with a 58% jump in cases per 100,000 people during the same period -- was the impetus for a new statewide indoor mask mandate for businesses without a vaccine requirement. While cases and hospitalizations had been going up mostly in upstate New York earlier in the month, the increasing trend levels are now present across the state. Governor Hochul Holds Press Briefing On Covid-19 Governor Kathy HochulPhotographer: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg Hochul said the omicron variant didn’t factor directly into her mask mandate decision but that it’s an area of concern. The state has identified 38 omicron cases, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the variant now makes up 3% of all sequenced cases in the U.S., up from 0.1% in early December. --- Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake