Wear Masks Indoors In Chicago — Even If Vaccinated, Top Doc Says

CHICAGO, IL — Health officials in Chicago are asking everyone, even people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, to wear masks indoors again.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, made the plea Sunday morning, just as the city was gearing up for the final day of the four-day Lollapalooza music festival that some estimates say has drawn more than 100,000 people to Grant Park.

"All city residents, and anybody in Chicago over the age, should wear a mask indoors regardless of vaccination status," Arwady said in a news conference hosted by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Sunday, pointing to the spread of the delta variant she said is more than 80 percent of the current cases in the city.

“We have been enjoying well-controlled COVID over the last two months, especially because we have a lot of folks vaccinated,” Arwady said.

But the city just recently saw its coronavirus case numbers average more than 200 a day, moving from "lower" to "substantial" transmission, Arwady said. As of Sunday, the city was averaging 206 new cases a day, with a 3.1 percent positivity rate.

The recent uptick isn't connected to Lollapalooza, which ends Sunday, as cases from the city's largest music festival wouldn't come in for several days.

Arwady previously said she "would not feel comfortable moving ahead with Lollapalooza without COVID protocols in place."

Comparatively, 2021 coronavirus numbers in Chicago are still much lower than 2020, Arwady said, noting the city only saw 13 days last summer with fewer than 200 new cases a day.

Crediting vaccines, Arwady said more than 3 million vaccinations have been administered in the city. Among vaccinated Chicagoans, 99.9 percent have not been diagnosed with COVID-19.

A small fraction of "breakthrough cases," which occur when someone fully vaccinated gets the virus, are expected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But evidence shows the vaccine can make someone's symptoms less severe even if they do get infected, the CDC said.

Returning to an indoor mask restriction in Chicago, Arwady said, "feels like we are taking a step backwards."

"But by doing that you help protect people who haven't been vaccinated," she said.

More On Lollapalooza:

• Chicago Top Doc Confident Lolla Won't Cause Significant Issues
• 90 Percent Of Lollapalooza Fans Showed Proof Of Vaccination
• With Lollapalooza Coming Up, Pritzker Warns Of More Restrictions