By Sophia Tareen, AP News | Chicago health officials on Thursday reported 203 cases of COVID-19 connected to Lollapalooza, casting it as a number that was anticipated and not yet linked to any hospitalizations or deaths.
“Nothing unexpected here,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said at a news conference. “No sign of a ‘superspreader event’. But clearly with hundreds of thousands of people attending Lollapalooza we would expect to see some cases.”
The four-day music festival, which started two weeks ago, drew about 385,000 people to a lakefront park. Critics questioned holding the event during the pandemic. Footage showed tightly packed crowds at concerts and on public transportation with few masks in sight. Last year’s festival was canceled because of COVID-19.
But Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials have defended the decision, saying there were safety protocols in place. Festival goers had to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test and city officials said about 90% were vaccinated.
Arwady said the number of positive cases included those who tested positive after or during Lollapalooza, which could include people who might have arrived already infected. For instance, 13 Chicago residents who tested positive reported attended Lollapalooza on or after the day their symptoms began.
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https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-health-chicago-coronavirus-pandemic-99fd8448a981a47d934eac70aa1e19b0
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Over 160 COVID-19 Cases Tied to Music Festival at the Gorge
GEORGE, Wash. (AP) — More than 160 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed so far among people who attended the Watershed Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in central Washington.
More than 20,000 fans packed the Gorge, in George, for the three-day outdoor country music festival in late July, The Seattle Times reported.
The Grant County Health District said Friday the cases are tied to residents in counties including King, Grant, Pierce, Skagit, Kittitas, Okanogan, Whatcom, Kitsap, San Juan, Lincoln and Stevens. There’s also one case tied to an Oregon resident.
Read the rest of the story here:
https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-health-coronavirus-pandemic-music-festivals-64dbfe015d6336eb0297979df7f27577
[Thank you to Alex Teitz, http://www.femmusic.com, for contributing these articles.]