Some are calling this year’s Lollapalooza “COVIDpalooza”…
…and you can see why.
The AV Club also has this story.
“Is it safe?” That’s the number-one question I hear repeatedly as Lollapalooza 2021 begins—a question with no simple answer. Well, that’s not entirely true: The simple answer would be, “No,” as the hordes of mostly young, maskless attendees swarm the festival’s various stages, hooting and hollering, and generally spraying their aerosol-like germs at the nearby bodies in these tightly-packed crowds. (You can read up on what Chicago’s top doctors are recommending, including one of the most prominent who is now saying the event should’ve been canceled or imposed stiffer restrictions.)
Yes, there are some safety demands, requiring either proof of vaccination at entry or a negative COVID test within 72 hours prior to arrival, followed by a mask to be worn for all the unvaccinated folks. But that last part is the equivalent of a pinkie swear, and during the hours that I spend at Lollapalooza day one, I see fewer masked attendees than I do people dressed in see-through underwear. If the nationwide vaccination rates are any indication, there are an awful lot of unvaxxed people going maskless today.
Meanwhile, English clubbers seem to have good sense. (Via Sean)
