Officials Discourage Gathering As Chicago Enters 'Second Surge' of COVID-19

Chicago officials are bracing for the “second surge” of COVID-19 cases and urging people not to meet for non-essential gatherings.

Reaching the highest daily rate since May, it was time to “sound the alarm.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said “we are now in” the second coronavirus surge that Dr. Anthony Fauci and Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady have warned the public about since March.

"Please do not invite anyone over to your house or apartment," Arwady said in a press conference Monday (October 19). "This is not the time for non-essential gatherings, period…The virus is just looking for opportunities to spread.”

Lightfoot’s office indicated that officials would consider additional restrictions on businesses again — among other public health measures — if COVID-19 cases continue to increase, NBC5Chicago noted.

A press release from Lightfoot’s office notes that “Chicago has seen an alarming increase” of cases in the last two weeks. Though there’s also been an increase in testing, the positivity rate has jumped more than one percentage point, showing “that the increase in testing does not fully explain the rise in cases.” Hospitalizations are up more than 300 daily.

The “second surge” comes shortly before Halloween, heading into the holiday season.

Last month, Arwady discussed concerns of people letting their guards down to partake in festivities, noting that “the potential for large indoor gatherings” among adults worried her more than trick-or-treaters.

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