Chicago, Cook County and several surrounding counties have all recently been designated as being at “medium risk” of their residents contracting COVID-19.

That’s up from the “low risk” status the area was sitting at in recent weeks. Cook County now has a rate of more than 259 confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the latest data. That has prompted health officials to encourage residents to mask up, but stops short of requiring face coverings.