RICHMOND, Va. – He stopped short of issuing new mandates Thursday, but Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is calling on Virginians to mask up, tweeting that “this is not a requirement, but a recommendation.”

In accordance with recent revised guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Northam said all Virginians should consider wearing a mask in public in indoor settings where there is increased risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The governor noted that the number of new COVID cases is on the rise in Virginia, with more than 1,100 reported on Thursday.

He also renewed his call for all eligible Virginians to get the vaccine, calling the shots “the surest way we can bring this pandemic to an end.”