North Avenue Beach in 2018. (Frank Fujimoto / Flickr)

Chicagoans hoping to beat this week’s oppressive heat and humidity won’t be able to head to Chicago’s beaches to cool off “any time soon,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.

The threat of huge crowds flocking to the lakefront — and spreading the coronavirus — is too great, Lightfoot said.

“The challenge with the beaches, and with swimming pools … is that they are rife for congregate gathering and not social distancing,” Lightfoot said. “Given where we are, which is progress but we have some concerns, we are not going to take any steps that could tip over, or really tip us backward.”

However, splash pads in Chicago parks will open to allow kids and adults to cool off, Lightfoot said.

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Cooling centers are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Residents can call 311 to find the cooling center nearest them. (See a map of city cooling centers.)

Chicago officials confirmed 191 cases of the coronavirus between Sunday and Monday, as well as six deaths, according to data from the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]