(Bloomberg) -- New York City health officials have ended its Covid-19 alert system that informed residents about periods of higher transmission of the virus. 

The change took place this week and visitors to the city’s website are now met with a message that reads: “We are evaluating the city’s COVID Alert system. Check back here for updates in the coming weeks.”

Before the color-coded alert categorization was dropped, the city was last at a ‘medium risk level’ on Tuesday with New Yorkers being encouraged to continue wearing a mask in public indoor settings. While the masking guidance remains the same, the website now warns of “currently high transmission levels of Covid-19 throughout the city” without saying what the alert level is.

Health commissioner Ashwin Vasan had explained the move in a Thursday press conference, saying it was part of an ongoing reevaluation of the risk alert system that takes into account where New York City is in terms of “perception and the reality of risk from Covid-19.”

“We’re also at a different phase of the pandemic that demands new analytical tools to match our assessments and communications about risk with reality, accounting for the multiple inequitable realities faced by New Yorkers and Americans of different stripes and different situations,” Vasan said.

City data shows a seven-day average of 3,441 positive cases on June 28, up from 3,009 a week before. Daily hospitalizations, however, have shown a steady decline with the seven-day average at 79 on June 28, down from 106 a week before. 

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