After tens of thousands of people attended the Lollapalooza music festival in downtown Chicago this past weekend, public health experts predict a spike in Covid-19 infections.
Megan Thee Stallion, Foo Fighters, and Tyler the Creator were among the headliners at the four-day event, which drew roughly 100,000 people every day.
Prior to this warning, pictures from the event - which showed the unbelievable crowd size - already went viral. Although people who wanted to attend had to provide confirmation of a negative Covid-19 test from the previous 72 hours or a Covid-19 vaccination card, this does not mean everything is already fine.
People who saw the photo, especially health experts, cannot help but exclaim disappointment and fear. Some physicians even suggested additional limitations should have been in place as the US seeks to contain the spread of the more virulent Delta form.
Infectious disease expert Dr Tina Tan said: "When you have 100,000 or more people who are in a fairly enclosed space and there's no social distancing, the vast majority are not wearing masks, you are going to get some transmission of Covid-19 Delta variant."
Some people who saw the picture said there's no music worth getting that infection for.
Chicago is averaging more than 200 new cases per day, which the city has designated as a serious threshold, albeit it is still well below the pandemic's peak. To say that the music festival is already safe if it did not immediately led to a spike is simply wrong.
Officials say that by now, everyone should know that the virus can manifest in weeks. It may be two to three weeks before the impact of Lollapalooza on the city's case rate is understood, and there is also concern about those who came to the city for the event spreading Covid back home.
"I know they were trying to hold Lollapalooza as safely as possible but I think with the increasing amount of Covid we've been seeing there should have been some other things that were put into place," said Tan, who is also a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Tan expressed worry that children under the age of 12 were attending the festival and said that at the very least, masks should have been required.
"I understand the fascination with Lolla, but the fact is, in this city, ... we've been able to open but do it with care because of the vaccinations," Mayor Lightfoot defended the decision to host the maskless event.
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