Lollapalooza will continue despite increase in COVID-19 cases | Chicago News

[ad_1]

Despite the increase in COVID-19 cases, the show continues.

The Lollapalooza music festival, which regularly attracts over 100,000 people a day, begins next week.

The Grant Park festival is running at full capacity while the more transmissible Delta variant is causing an increase in cases, with the Chicago daily average now at 100 cases per day and the positivity rate at 1.6%.

I think that’s crazy, said Jim DeRogatis, co-host of the radio show Sound Opinions.

DeRogatis referred to a music festival in the Netherlands with 20,000 attendees that was linked to 1,000 coronavirus infections. The festival required spectators to show they were vaccinated or had a negative COVID-19 test.

Dr Emily Landon, executive medical director for infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said she believes continuing the festival despite the increase in cases is a terrible idea. She said people who attend must accept that they are likely to be exposed to COVID-19. If someone is immunocompromised or unvaccinated and is trying to avoid contracting COVID-19, they should stay home, she added.

Lollapaloozas entry protocols require a full COVID-19 vaccination or, if not vaccinated, a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the visit. They also request that unvaccinated people wear a mask during the time on site. Unvaccinated people or those at high risk of severe COVID-19 should avoid crowded areas of the festival and stay at least 6 feet from other groups.

DeRogatis doubted that these requirements would be met. He said hundreds of people broke into the festival by lowering the fences.

They can’t control their own doors, DeRogatis said. Why are we supposed to believe that they are going to be diligent in the vaccination check?

Participants are also likely to arrive from areas subject to the city’s travel advisory. Currently Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and the US Virgin Islands are on the list. And not everyone is on the same wavelength as Chicago when it comes to mask wear and vaccinations, Landon said.

There are a lot of parts of the country where people don’t want to wear masks, they don’t want to get vaccinated, they don’t want to follow the rules to make sure you get tested, so you really need to know that beforehand. to get started, Landon said.

In addition to possible health issues with the festival, DeRogatis said he was worried about local Chicago concert halls battling the pandemic. Many are just starting to reopen, but if there is a spike in COVID-19 cases due to Lollapalooza, there is the threat of closing.

DeRogatis said they were lucky to be alive after 18 months of darkness.

We invited the organizers of Lollapalooza to join this conversation, but they said they didn’t have anyone available tonight.

[ad_2]