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John Murray shares a post that addresses the debate between fear and fun when dealing with COVID-19 and outdoor concerts.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced this week in a playful video with Health Commissioner Allison Arwady that Lollapalooza will be returning to Chicago this summer without capacity restrictions!

That is a major announcement to be sure, given that Lollla routinely draws 400,000 attendees over four days to enjoy more than 170 artists on multiple stages placed throughout Grant Park.

Reactions have been mixed, with some critics contending it is too much, too soon and others questioning the move given remaining capacity restrictions on smaller venues who have been shuttered for more than a year.

Others are cheering the move, pointing to the dwindling case rates and increasing vaccination numbers, as well as the CDC’s recent announcement to end mask & social distancing requirements for outdoor gatherings and even indoors for vaccinated individuals.

I fall in the latter camp. I have argued in previous Dispatches that there has been a lack of intellectual honesty and consistency in positions across the board, and this is clearly a case where the science is showing that there is virtually no risk of transmission outdoors, especially for vaccinated individuals.

Key points include:

• Government support
• Fear-inducing media coverage
• Vaccine dodgers

Read the full article, Are You Ready for Some Lolla?, on LinkedIn.