CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago area is seeing more restaurants, bars, gyms and other venues reopening because of progress made to slow the spread of COVID-19, but sports fans, it seems, will have to wait a while to watch professional teams from the stands.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city is making excellent progress in flattening the curve of COVID-19. The number of new cases, hospitalizations, and positive tests are as low as they were last fall.
A reporter asked Dr. Arwady if sports fans can hope to watch some professional teams soon. Her answer was no.
"We’re definitely making good progress here, but we are still not even below the 400-case mark (the number of new cases per 100,000 residents per week) and that five percent positivity that really mark our danger zone here in Chicago. Where I think about fans in stands that is months away realistically," Dr. Arwady said.
"Certainly as we make progress both on case counts, first and foremost, by doing the things that we know work, as well as rolling out vaccine, I am certainly optimistic that we will be able to be reopening further, but we are going to have to be doing that in a way that is cautious, and I really can't predict months from now where we will be."
She said she is hopeful the numbers will keep coming down, but she said if there is one thing she has learned during this pandemic is you will never know where we will be months from now.
Related
Currently, the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks are playing home games at the United Center, with no fans allowed in the building. The Chicago Cubs and White Sox, which are set to report to Arizona later this month for spring training, will open their 2021 seasons in April, but it is unclear if fans will be allowed to attend games at Wrigley Field or Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Cubs and White Sox played their 2020 seasons without fans in the stands, and the Chicago Bears did the same at Soldier Field.