Cook County reaches ‘high community level’ for Covid

Masks encouraged — not mandated — indoors, Chicago overall health officials say

CHICAGO — Chicago, Cook County and most of northeastern Illinois  is now at a significant stage of transmission.

The CDC claims if an area has 200 or far more new Covid instances for every 100,000 persons in the previous 7 times that is larger than 10% the location is deemed to be at the high stage.

It is a CDC designation Chicago Department of General public Health’s Dr. Allison Arwady mentioned is most likely induced by an maximize in healthcare facility admissions.

But for she supplied a warning.

“If you imagine you have a cold, if you assume you have allergies, there is a fantastic probability proper now with how substantially covid is all-around, that it could be covid,” she said.

Which is why she and other public overall health officers are recommending safeguards.

 “Wear a mask indoors, in general public … no matter of your vaccination standing,” she explained.

It is not a mandate, but it is specially critical as folks welcome website visitors for get-togethers this Memorial Working day Weekend.

And if you’re hopping on a aircraft, Dr. Michael Bauer, the Health-related Director of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Clinic, advised you to mask up – even however airlines no more time have to have it. 

“I would absolutely have on a mask both equally in the airport and on the plane the overall time. I would restrict the sum of time you just take it off even for ingesting,” he reported.

He reported this spring distribute has a mix of leads to, that started out with the lifting of mandates.

“When you are not getting individuals exact same levels of safeguards in the deal with of this remarkably really contagious variant that is really the recipe for these elevated levels ideal now,” he stated.

Over-all, the space is in a considerably superior put than it was at the commencing of the yr when hospitalizations had been 10 instances larger then.

“If Covid threatens our nearby hospitals and health care capability we will consider more motion. Like citywide indoor mask mandates, or even far more stringent if that’s required,” Arwady explained. “But we really do not will need it nevertheless and we do not want to get there.”