2 MIN READ – Since July 2020, Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA) has released monthly reports on downtown activity using a variety of data sources to Operaciones en las vías durante la COVID-19, and today released its August report, which also includes data for Los domingos en State. El informe rastrea las tasas de positividad por COVID-19, la actividad de los peatones, el volumen de estacionamiento, la ocupación de los hoteles, el número de trabajadores de oficina presentes y más. View the full August report aquí. Algunos de los aspectos más destacados son:
- After the significant July jump in pedestrian activity due to major events like Lollapalooza, the Chicago Auto Show and the launch of Sundays on State—and as the Delta variant surged throughout the country and increased COVID-19 rates citywide, peaking at 122 cases per 100,000 residents in early August—pedestrian impressions on State Street only declined slightly in August, remaining over 50 percent of 2019 levels.
- Sundays on State pedestrian counts compared to the same Sundays in 2019 are within an 11-percentage-point range of 2019 levels, showing the event has been effective at bringing vibrancy back to the Loop.
- Visitors to the Sundays on State event area averaged approximately 66,000 per event in August.
- At 32 percent of normal, Chicagoland’s office human occupancy leads the nation, along with Texas and the Philadelphia metro area, despite dropping 4 percentage points compared to July. Drops in office human occupancy were seen nationwide as the Delta variant contributed to a surge of COVID-19 cases. More workers may also have taken long-awaited summer vacations, contributing to lower office attendance.
- Along with office occupancy rates, parking garage occupancy rates fell slightly to 58 percent of 2019 levels, from 61 percent in July. Digital parking bookings have been over 100 percent of normal levels for seven weeks, showing that the Loop continues to attract visitors to the many open venues and experiences downtown.
- Preliminary CTA data suggests that ridership remained in the 40-50 percent range in August.
- Hotel occupancy in July rose dramatically, hitting the highest rate recorded since the pandemic began, at 62 percent of normal, likely due to Lollapalooza’s impact. This hotel data is always provided one month behind.
“We were concerned that the COVID-19 surge driven by the Delta variant would have a severe impact on Loop activity, but mitigation measures like continued vaccinations, vaccine mandates or requirements, and a reinstated mask mandate have worked well in avoiding another lockdown,” said Chicago Loop Alliance President and CEO Michael Edwards. “Looking ahead, we’re optimistic for improved metrics as COVID-19 cases and the city’s positivity rate gradually decline.”
Sundays on State, which has significantly boosted pedestrian activity during each event, wrapped up on Sept. 12. Chicago Loop Alliance will release a comprehensive report on the event series’ impacts later this week.
Para aquellos trabajadores de Loop que continúan regresando al centro de la ciudad, la Chicago Loop Alliance ha creado un kit de herramientas para volver al trabajo que se puede encontrar en LoopChicago.com/BackToWork. El kit incluye consejos de expertos para trabajar en el centro de la ciudad en el Loop para quienes nunca han estado allí, así como para quienes regresan por primera vez. Aquí encontrará información útil sobre cómo llegar de forma segura al centro de la ciudad; qué novedades hay en el Loop; cómo luce el lugar en estos días; lugares para almorzar y disfrutar de happy hour; y mucho más.
La Chicago Loop Alliance invita a la gente a compartir sus experiencias en el centro de la ciudad a través de las redes sociales utilizando #BackInTheLoop.
