Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Chicago Officials Issue New Warning as COVID Cases Rise - NBC Chicago

Even as coronavirus cases continue to rise, Chicago health officials said they have no plans to "shut down" the city again as they again recommended residents wear masks and get vaccinated.

Every county in the Chicago area except one is seeing "substantial" community transmission of COVID-19, placing nearly the entire region in the category in which fully vaccinated people should resume wearing a mask indoors, federal health officials say.

According to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker, a map showing levels of community transmission for each county in the U.S., every county in the Chicago area except Kankakee County is seeing "substantial" transmission.

The agency points to its COVID-19 data tracker showing levels of community transmission, along with other data, for each county in the U.S.

counties into four levels of community transmission: the number of new cases per 100,000 residents and the percent of COVID-19 tests that are positive over the past week.

Even as coronavirus cases continue to rise, Chicago health officials say they have no plans to shut down the city again, saying that new mask recommendations and continued emphasis on vaccinations will be key to tamping down an uptick in new cases being driven by the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, echoed the same sentiments during a press conference Sunday: the city will remain open, while remaining careful.

According to officials, Chicago has passed a key threshold in terms of new daily COVID cases, averaging more than 200 new cases of the virus per day.

As a result, officials say that they have no plans to install more regulations and mitigations against COVID, and are instead leaning on new CDC guidance that residents in areas of “substantial” or “high” transmission of COVID wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Days after the city of Chicago and Cook County were deemed to have “substantial” transmission of COVID-19, triggering new recommendations that all residents wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status, city officials are urging cooperation with the new guidelines, saying that they are a temporary step to helping tamp down on the delta variant-fueled spread of the disease.

The city’s new recommendations mirror the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, which call for all individuals, regardless of whether they are vaccinated against COVID or not, to wear masks in areas where there is “substantial” or “high” levels of transmission of COVID-19.

Despite an uptick in cases fueled by the delta variant, the Chicago Department of Public Health and Lollapalooza's own health experts decided it was safe to proceed with the festival, Mayor Lori Lightfoot previously said.

Illinois health officials on Friday reported 11,682 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, along with 39 additional deaths and more than 154,000 new vaccine doses administered.

COVID cases statewide have increased 46% over the last week, with hospitalizations up 35%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Cook County updated its guidance on masking and other COVID-19 precautions Friday, recommending everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, as health officials say the region is seeing "substantial" community transmission.

The Cook County Department of Public Health issued new policies one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention placed the county into the "substantial" transmission category, triggering the CDC's recommendation to resume indoor masking under its new guidance released Tuesday.

CCDPH said it also continues to recommend its previous guidance that all people in school settings - teachers, staff, students, and visitors - should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status and community transmission level.

The department is also encouraging people to mask indoors or in crowded outdoor settings regardless of community transmission.

Nzogi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, explained the masking directive adds another layer of protection for state employees and those Illinois serves.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is "fully adopting" the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated masking guidance, the state's health department said Tuesday, recommending that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with substantial and high transmission.

Public health officials are sounding alarm bells throughout the United States, as the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has led to a massive surge in cases in recent weeks