COVID-19 Testing in Chicago
Across the city of Chicago, there are currently 132 medical practices offering COVID-19 testing at their locations. Accessibility is vital to ensuring all Chicago residents can be tested whenever needed, and many testing locations are conveniently located along CTA bus routes to ensure this ease of access.
As colder weather approaches, the city of Chicago and state of Illinois are citing growing Coronavirus cases. On October 19th, health officials shared that there are 3,113 new cases across the state of Illinois. With 48,684 tests administered in the last 24 hours, this brings the positivity rate to 5.4%. Governor Pritzker has announced new roll-backs on reopening in other regions of the state, and mayor Lori Lightfoot has expressed concerns about doing the same in Chicago.
Of her plans regarding the rise in cases, Lightfoot said in a press conference, “This is a time for each of us to dig down even deeper and be more diligent and if we don’t see a dramatic turnaround in our numbers and soon, then we will not hesitate to take the steps that are necessary to save our city, save our residents, even if that means going back to some of our Phase 3 restrictions.”
Chicago has been in phase four of reopening since June 26th, nearly four months. According to NBC Chicago, the most significant differences between phases three and four are restrictions regarding restaurants, bars and their allowed capacities.
While outdoor dining and entertainment have been great options for many residents around the city, concerns are growing as we near the winter. Rollbacks on phase four have not yet commenced, but it is clear that officials will not be able to reinstate phase three without major adjustments due to the lack of viable outdoor seating options in colder temperatures.
Many metrics, such as a sustained increase in cases for at least 14 days and a seven-day rolling positivity rate at or greater than 10% are required for Lightfoot and other officials to commence rollbacks throughout the city.
Officials are still encouraging residents to be tested often. The map above can help locate a testing location near a convenient bus line.
