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George Floyd protests could increase US coronavirus cases as thousands ignore social distancing: Officials

With people on the streets, clashing with the police and even looting stores, authorities decided to shut down testing centers in Los Angeles on May 30
PUBLISHED JUN 1, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Public officials fear a surge in coronavirus cases as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets across the country, expressing outrage over the unfortunate killing of George Floyd and police brutality against blacks, at large. Amid protests, Covid-19 testing has taken a backseat in Los Angeles. With people on the streets, clashing with the police and even looting stores, authorities decided to shut down testing centers on May 30. "We have been notified that all #Covid-19 testing centers throughout LA will be closed until further notified. A troubling consequence of social breakdown prompted by excessive use of force resulting in the death of another unarmed African American man, Mr George Floyd,” according to a tweet by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas.

Reacting to the events, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he feared that such protests could trigger "super-spreader events". Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was concerned about what the mass gatherings could mean for spikes in coronavirus cases later. During a press conference on May 31, she said: "I'm so concerned about it that I'm urging everybody to consider their exposure, if they need to isolate from their family members when they go home and if they need to be tested… because we have worked very hard to blunt the curve." Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican, told CNN that he and other governors were worried that the number of cases could climb in about two weeks. 

Exposure to tear gas and pepper spray could cause people to secrete tears and other secretions from the mouth and nose, helping the virus spread (Getty Images)

Experts weigh in on the risks

Research suggests that the risk of contracting and spreading the virus is lower outdoors, compared to indoor spaces. Open air makes it harder for the virus floating in liquid, respiratory droplets to reach more people, Cyrus Shahpar, director at Resolve to Save Lives, told Vox. And it also helps that it is easier maintaining social distancing outdoors.

But the problem is that protesters did not stick to social distancing measures, which could place them at higher risk of catching the virus. "Public gatherings are public gatherings — it doesn’t matter what you’re protesting or cheering. That’s one reason we’re not having large baseball games and may not have college football this fall," Dr Howard Markel, a medical historian who studies pandemics, told The New York Times. He also noted that some demonstrators did not wear masks. Face coverings are proving to be an important tool in reducing exposure to respiratory droplets that escape when a person breathes, talks or coughs, Dr Markel added.

Making matters worse were police trying to disperse crowds using tear gas and pepper spray. Such exposures could cause people to secrete tears and other secretions from the mouth and nose, helping the virus spread. Further, efforts to move crowds through tight urban areas can result in crowding, defeating the purpose of social distancing, according to The New York Times. Other experts agree that protests are not without risks at the moment. "Mass gatherings facilitate #Covid19 transmission, whether it’s a giant pool party or a protest against racist violence and murder," Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, wrote in a tweet. She added: "The difference between those two types of gatherings is that only one is necessary. Protesting an epidemic of racial violence is far different from protesting your right to get your nails done or your right to drink beer in a crowded pool."

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