Story by Best Darn Brands Contributing Journalist – Danial A. 6/6/2020
Over the last week, there have been an ongoing series of riots and protests against Police Brutality in the United States. The movement originated in Minnesota and then spread to over four hundred cities and towns in all fifty states, after a video of George Floyd’s encounter with the police, and eventual death, went viral on the Internet.
The protests being attended by thousands of people begs the question: are COVID-19 cases in the US about to see a spike? Are the protests about to be “super-spreader” events for the Coronavirus?
There’s no immediate answer, as the virus has a long incubation period, and most people will not fall ill immediately. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Protests and large gatherings make it difficult to maintain our recommended social-distancing guidelines and may put others at risk. It’s too early to know what, if any, effect these events will have on the federal COVID-19 response.”
Scientists are still not fully clear about how the virus spreads between people outdoors. We do know that there was a super-spreader event at an Italian soccer match in February this year. Many of the protestors could be asymptomatic carriers – which makes the situation even more complicated. However, the dangers of not practising social distancing can not be avoided. Public health officials have repeatedly voiced the concern that protests can potentially accelerate the speed of transmission.
Wearing A Mask Doesn’t Solve The Problem:
Although wearing a face mask does effectively reduce chances of infection/transmission, it does not solve the problem altogether. There are several other ways in which the protestors can pass the virus along – proximity being the main factor. Anytime an individual is within close proximity to someone who is already infected, they’re likely to spread it through aerosolized droplets.
Another factor that can potentially increase transmission is tear gas. Tear gas has been used by the police to disperse protestors in many of the protests. Being exposed to tear gas can lead to sneezing and coughing – hence spreading respiratory droplets.
How To Protect Yourself And Those Around You
The threat of infection hasn’t deterred demonstrators from attending protests. It’s important that they take the following measures to protect themselves from being infected:
- Wear a face covering
- Stay at least 6 feet from other groups
- Stick to a small group if possible
- Use hand sanitizer at regular intervals
- Wear eye protection to prevent injury
- Yelling can spread droplets: use signs & noise makers instead
- Stay hydrated!
These cautionary measures won’t reduce the risk to zero, but will certainly help minimize harm to everyone attending the protests.
A public service announcement from www.BestDarnBrands.com.
