Reimposing requirements for mask wearing in public gathering places and indoors remains a local-level decision, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday, even as he urged officials there to strongly consider taking steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 amid a resurgence of the virus.

Cuomo likened the situation to re-watching a movie and knowing the end in advance.

"New Yorkers saw the movie. You saw the movie. You know how this turns out," Cuomo said. "You know what happens with the delta variant. You know what those facts mean. You know what's going to happen in the movie. Don't wait for what you know is going to happen. We beat the damn thing by being smart the first time. Be smart again."

But it's not yet clear which way the plot will twist in this latest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic as cases rise along with hospitalizations in New York. The vaccination is the strongest protection against contracting a serious case of COVID-19 as well as dying from the disease.

A state-imposed mask mandate, for now, has not been issued. At the same time, Cuomo has not called for vaccination requirements for teachers, though he has strongly urged school districts to consider steps to increase vaccinations among school staff.

Cuomo's emergency powers to oversee the pandemic ended in June, and state lawmakers earlier this year voted to limit his power to issue new pandemic-related orders.

Cuomo on Monday said a statewide mask mandate would require state legislation; lawmakers are not due back to Albany until January. Even so, it's unlikely the Legislature will be eager to re-institute broad emergency powers to Cuomo.

State officials are working on new ways of raising the flattening vaccination rate in New York, including a more concerted community-based effort and requiring public workers to get vaccinated.

Even with his pandemic powers clipped, Cuomo has imposed vaccination mandates for state workers, and employees of the MTA and Port Authority, requiring them to have their shots by Labor Day or be tested weekly for COVID-19.

In the mean time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the federal level have recommended a return to indoor mask policies as vaccinated people can still carry transmittable loads of the virus, made all the more complicated the more highly contagious version of the virus known as the delta variant.

Cuomo once again on Monday urged local governments to take more forceful steps on both mask wearing, and potentially mandating vaccinations for public-facing workers. Without going into specifics, Cuomo said a vaccination mandate for nursing home workers as well as teachers could be necessary if COVID case counts rise.

Schools are set to reopen in New York in a month amid uncertainty over reopening plans -- and the spread of the delta variant only adds to that. For now, the statewide labor umbrella group that represents teachers unions opposes a vaccination mandate.

“We have advocated since the beginning of the year that any educator who wants a vaccine should have easy access to one," the New York State United Teachers said in a statement. "We would support local efforts to encourage more vaccinations, such as through programs that require that those who are not vaccinated get tested on a regular basis. But it’s critical that districts come up with plans to make testing available on-site and at no cost. What we have not supported is a vaccine mandate.”