Chicago mayor warns the city is 'dangerously close' to going back to Phase 3 restrictions following a spike in infections with 30% among young people
Chicago’s mayor issued a stern warning that the city is 'dangerously close' to rolling back reopening measures if COVID-19 cases continue to rise, with young people being behind 30 percent of new infections.
The Windy City moved into Phase Four on June 26, which allowed for indoor service at limited capacity at bars and restaurants.
However, since the loosening of restrictions there's been a startling spike in cases.
Since June 15, nearly 30 percent of all new virus cases in Chicago are among people between the ages of 18 and 29, the mayor said.
'The last thing I want to do is have to take steps back. I certainly don’t want to be like other places in the country where we’re shutting down commerce and business,’ Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a coronavirus press briefing Wednesday.
On Wednesday Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned the city could roll back from Phase 4 to Phase 3 restrictions if infections continue to rise
A view of patrons sitting on the outdoor patio of the reopened bar Queen Mary on June 18 in Chicago
This graph shows the breakdown of current daily averages, based on a seven day rolling average, showing how currently there's an average of 209 new daily COVID-19 infections
'If we continue to see this uptick in cases, we’re going to have no choice but to go back into Phase 3. That means shutting businesses down. That means imposing more restrictions on your mobility. No one wants to go back there, but we will have to go back there if people continue to ignore the public health guidance,' she added in her dire warning.
She pointed to the rise of infections mong young people, urging them to stay home.
In the last month, the number of cases in that age group has risen a stagggering 29 percent.
'This should be all the proof that you need. If you are in the 18 to 29-year-old cohort, you are catching COVID-19, you are getting sick, and you’re not only putting yourself at risk, you’re putting every single person that you come into contact with at risk as well,' she said.
'Right now we are on the precipice. We are dangerously close to going back to a dangerous state of conditions,' she added.
Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said that Chicago averaged 192 new cases a day, a moderate-to-high incidence state. But she anticipated that it would climb above that threshold.
This graph shows the daily averages for coronavirus positivity rates in the city showing how positivity peaked in May and has declined since them but has plateaued in July
This graph shows the count of daily coronavirus cases reported, showing how cases peaked in May and declined but surged a bit mid July
According to current daily averages for Chicago, which are seven day rolling averages as of July 10, there's an average daily count of 209 new cases, four deaths, and a 5.4 positivity rate
As of Thursday morning Chicago’s data tracker reported a current daily average of 209 new cases citywide – surpassing the threshold.
Reporting an average of over 200 new coronavirus infections a day means the city is back in a high incidence state, under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
'When we get back above 200, we’re back in a high incident state, and for me, that means we are back in a caution state. It does not equal an automatic rollback,’ she said.
But she said if the city starts to hit a daily average of 400 cases, it would mandate returning to Phase Three conditions.
Chicago had an average of 1,000 cases per day in early May.
Overall in the city there are over 55,800 cases of the virus and there have been over 2,700 deaths, as of Wednesday.
The greatest number of new COVID-19 cases is centered in the upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood, but every zip code in the city is seeing some sort of increase, according to ABC7.
And officials are already cracking down and inspecting and shutting down bars.
Wise Owl in the West Loop was shut down over the weekend for violating city guidelines for Phase 4. Rules for bars include practicing social distancing with tables and reuiqirng masks.
Last week Chicago announced a curfew for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, requiring them to close at midnight each night.
