Chicago Tribune: If you went to Lollapalooza, get a COVID-19 test this week,

[MisterNiceKitty]

Champaign-Urbana health department urges local residents:

"The public health authority included information on Champaign County’s COVID-19 testing availability and asked attendees of the music festival, about 385,000 over the course of the four days, to get tested Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

“This will help us shut down any local outbreaks before they get started,” said the post, which made no distinction between festival attendees who are vaccinated and those who aren’t."

Also,

"Festivalgoers were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the previous three days, and city officials said more than 90% of attendees were vaccinated, though there were some reports of people being waved without a thorough document check.

A mask rule was issued during the festival but only for indoor spaces. Masks were handed out at some locations.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced some criticism for going forward with the Lollapalooza as the delta variant brings new cases and new concerns about whether even outdoor festivals can be superspreader events. Gov. J.B. Pritzker planned to attend and then backed out, citing the spread of the variant."

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-champaign-urbana-public-health-lollapalooza-covid-testing-20210805-odp4bpw2ejdsxfk4w5svf4n6qe-story.html

[Budi]

1. This will help us shut down any local outbreaks before they get started"

Just fking WTF.
THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY FIVE THOUSAND


.."The public health authority included information on Champaign County’s COVID-19 testing availability and asked attendees of the music festival, about 385,000 over the course of the four days, to get tested Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

“This will help us shut down any local outbreaks before they get started"

[NurseJackie]

2. Somewhere, I'd read an account of fake CDC Vaccination Cards were being sold outside...

... and people were buying them before entering the grounds.

[Budi]

4. Don't doubt that al all. Opportunities to make $$$ at an event this size were everywhere

Fake CDC Vaccination Cards, Tee Shirts, Drink Cups, Hats, Trinkets ...

You know if there was $$$ to be made, opportunists were there..

385,000 people would have brought in quite the cash haul!

[Elessar Zappa]

3. At least the vast majority were vaccinated.

I’m more worried about Sturgis. 700,000 people with the vast majority being unvaccinated.

[mucifer]

6. Exactly. I live in Chicago. For months public health officials have been pushing Lallo people to vax

IMO this is different than sturgis

[Budi]

8. South Dakota doesn't give a shit.

All about the revenue.
They'll all disperse across the country when its over & Sturgis will never accept culpability.

I see Gov Noem bought herself a brand new extra roomy 2015/ 9 passenger Govt plane last week.
"South Dakota's new plane will be one of the most luxurious state-owned planes in the region."

The South Dakota Department of Transportation this week bought a luxury airplane for $4.5 million, putting to bed questions about whether Gov. Kristi Noem was angling to add a jet aircraft to the state fleet.

Ian Fury, a spokesman in the governor's office, told the Argus Leader on Thursday the state had closed on a 2015 Beechcraft King Air 350 using a $5 million appropriation authorized by lawmakers last winter.
Legislators were skeptical earlier this year when the governor made the budget request to update the state's plane fleet, with some believing $5 million was beyond what would be necessary to purchase a new prop plane. Others also believed Noem preferred to fly in a jet as opposed to the King Air 200 she flies in now.

Democrats also criticized her for using the state plane to attend 2019 events held by political organizations, even though state law bars using the state plane for political or personal trips. Noem defended those trips as part of her job as “an ambassador for the state.”

Wonder who she bought it from, & if t was bought with Covid Stimulus Cash.

[MisterNiceKitty]

9. Yeah, I hear you

[Beringia]

5. I was curious as to any upticks in Covid after that concert in Illinois

But I don't keep that close an eye on Illinois Covid statistics.

[mucifer]

7. It's been about a week so it will take more time to see how much hospitalizations

will go up after that would come deaths.

[MisterNiceKitty]

13. yes be curious to see those numbers

If someone can post in a week or two.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. It's Rising Here

There have been 2 earlier spikes with steeper rising slopes.
Only 1 of our 11 regions have dropped below the ICU bed availability threshold. Our region, which has around 900,000 people, is still well above the threshold.
As Mucifer said, it's only been a week. Probably too soon.
On top of that, I'm certain that all attendees weren't from Illinois. Lollapalooza is a pretty big event and I heard on Chicago news that hotels were pretty close to full. So, there were people in from somewhere far enough away they couldn't drive home each night.
That'll make connecting any outbreak to the event tougher.

[Beringia]

11. Thanks, very informative

[Nevilledog]

12. In addition to fake vaccination documents, people broke in

Link to tweet