Doctors Are Worried There Will Be A Spike In COVID-19 Cases Thanks Lollapalooza

While some music festivals were canceled this year because hey, it’s still a fucking pandemic, Lollapalooza did not give a single shit and began its four-day festival on July 29. Is that the Andromeda galaxy or a picture of Lollapalooza? JK, we know we’re all gonna die. NBC Chicago says that infectious disease experts are warning there could be an increase in Coronavirus cases because of it.

Lollapalooza wasn’t a total COVID-19 free-for-all. They took precautions. For example, attendees had to provide a printed copy of their COVID-19 vaccine card or show their negative coronavirus test results within 72 hours of entering. Non-vaccinated types were also told to wear a mask while inside the festival. And as we know–nobody has ever taken their mask off when they were not supposed to. NEVER. NOT ONCE! Infectious disease experts have already suggested doubt over whether mask or social distancing requirements would be followed. Here’s a pic from Lollapalooza, you tell me:

Lollapalooza 2021 Featuring: COVID-19 with special guest Delta Variant.

At least one is wearing a mask 😷 pic.twitter.com/irsRzoaHLx

— Al Guraieb (@alguraieb) July 31, 2021

The four-day event is probably going to be the biggest music festival in the world this year, and even though the Delta variant has been tearing our asses up, the mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, dismissed the “critics on the sidelines.” Let’s hear from some of them.

Dr. Robert Murphy, the executive director of Northwestern’s Institute for Global Health, said that having attendees show proof of vaccination or a negative test result was nice but that “it’s just not enough when you’re in the middle of the pandemic.” Dr. Tina Tan, a pediatrician and a professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said:

“It’s a recipe for disaster… You have people coming in all over from the U.S., and even though the organizers are taking some efforts to mitigate infections, I don’t know how they’re going to enforce mask wearing, social distancing, handwashing…”

Dr. Allison Arwady, who is the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said at a news conference that there will “almost certainly” be cases from Lollapalooza. And Dr. Emily Landon, the executive medical director for infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medical Center, called the festival a “spreader” event and said she’s worried that people who get infected with COVID–vaccinated or not–may then create “wildfires of infection” across the country.

“I think a lot of people are going to get COVID at Lollapalooza. The real problem is not so much that a bunch of young people who come into Chicago getting COVID at this event. The real problem is them taking it back to places that have very low vaccination rates.”

But hey, these doctors’ warnings are not falling on deaf ears. No ma’am! Lollapalooza was listening and watching and monitoring the situation. Like they made masks mandatory on Saturday for everyone indoors because the CDPH gave advice that everyone over 2 years old should mask up. Which doesn’t sound dire at all.

Based on the latest advice from the Chicago Department of Public Health, Lollapalooza will require masks in any indoor spaces at Grant Park beginning Saturday. We encourage all fans attending the festival to bring a mask as they attend the final two days of the festival. pic.twitter.com/EHndLVR55i

— Lollapalooza (@lollapalooza) July 30, 2021

The infectious disease experts at Northwestern say they remain optimistic but anticipate a spike in infections within the week after next.

I mean, even if we still weren’t going through a pandemic with a new variant threatening to fuck shit up some more, I wouldn’t want to be around that many people. But you know, I will give props to this man who attended. Not because he’s going to avoid Covid somehow, but because he buried vodka within the festival grounds in advance and then dug it up at the event.

This guy buried a bottle of vodka inside Grant Park a week before #Lollapalooza and dug it up when he got inside. That’s why he brought out the Timbs 🤣 pic.twitter.com/hSxt2W0I56

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) August 1, 2021

I mean pandemic or not, that’s just GENIUS!

Pic: Twitter