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(Bloomberg) -- Governor Phil Murphy urged New Jerseyans to mask indoors when Covid-19 transmission risk is increased but stopped short of issuing a mask mandate.

The decision comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its indoor mask policy on Tuesday for vaccinated people in a bid to stem a surge of cases linked to the contagious delta variant.

“Our metrics are trending in the wrong direction, and new data suggests the delta variant is more transmissible even among vaccinated individuals, which is why we are making this strong recommendation,” the governor and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a joint statement.

Across New Jersey, hospitalizations have increased 55% since the start of the month, to 473 on July 27, according to state data. The transmission rate, which measures how many people are infected by a virus-positive individual, is 1.5, the highest since the pandemic’s initial New Jersey peak, and greater than the second wave linked to late-year holiday gatherings.

“Our metrics are trending in the wrong direction, and new data suggests the Delta variant is more transmissible even among vaccinated individuals, which is why we are making this strong recommendation,” according to the statement.

In lieu of a mandatory requirement, Murphy urged “personal responsibility” to “mask up indoors when prudent.”