385,000 went to Lollapalooza, but it wasn't a COVID superspreader event

[ShazzieB]

38. I would like to draw everyone's attention to some things in the article.

"Around 88% of the festival’s attendees were vaccinated..."

"The Chicago festival had stringent protocols, as it required attendees to show proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID-19 test."

Quote from Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady: “We would have seen a surge if we were going to see a surge at this point.”

I get the feeling that a lot of posters are overlooking and/or discounting these points. Chicago is a very blue city that has been very conscientious about covid protocols from the start, located in a blue state that has been very conscientious about covid protocols from the start. It is not some Trump worshipping, maskhole infested, antivaxx hellhole. (There are some pockets of that in the state, but Chicago is not one of them.) We had a statewide mask mandate for about 15 months. (Some might argue that it should never have been lifted, but that's a whole separate conversation.) We have a high vaccinaction rate. Chicago (like Illinois as a whole) is a place that has taken covid seriously from the getgo.

Would calling off Lollapalooza this year have been the most prudent thing to do? Sure. Holding it was a calculated risk. But the decision to do so was not made in a cavalier manner. It was done with full recognition of the risks and an eye to keeping those risks as low as possible. And it has proved NOT to be a superspreader event, showing what a difference it can make when sensible rules are put in place and carefully followed.

Personally, I'd call it a win.