The Talladega City School system is encouraging students to wear masks as COVID hospitalizations have been on the rise across Alabama.

In a Facebook post, the school district stated, “this is not a mask mandate, but a general encouragement to be more conscious of our health.”

There were nearly 200 hospitalizations in the state during the week of Aug. 12, the most recent data available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Alabama has seen nearly a 300% increase in COVID hospitalizations since early July, although the numbers are still far below the surges the state has seen in the past.

CDC data also shows Alabama has some of the highest rates in the country for both regular and ICU hospital beds that are filled by COVID patients, and the percent of emergency department visits that were diagnosed with COVID.

According to the Alabama Hospital Association, the EG.5 variant is probably playing a role in the higher numbers, along with waning immunity, both from natural immunity and vaccines. Alabama remains near the very bottom of the list for vaccinations, according to the CDC, with just 8.1% of people considered “up to date” on their vaccines. Only Mississippi and Texas had lower rates.

Kinterbish Junior High School in Sumter County also asked students, staff and visitors to wear masks beginning last Tuesday “due to the slow rise of COVID cases in the area.”