Can protests really cause an increase to COVID cases?

Can COVID-19 cases substantially increase with all these protests? In protests, there are immense crowds of people, and individuals can get quite close in proximity to others. Someone wouldn’t really know if there was possibly a COVID case. I strongly recommend social distancing while protesting because we don’t know if cases have been rising rapidly. These gatherings could have somewhat of an impact on COVID cases, and this article will discuss if there are any ways to prevent such spread.

What could possibly cause an increase in COVID cases? A possible cause to an increase in the number of cases could be the George Floyd protests. These protests have started first in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During protests, many people interact with each other. This can be hazardous because it is unknown if someone in the gathering has Coronavirus. If one person does appear to have it, chances of spreading are very high.

Do the protests have an impact on the number of COVID cases? Nothing has been reported for sure, as symptoms take at most 14 days to show. It hasn’t yet been 14 days since the protests started, but we will have some data soon. If one person happens to have COVID-19 during the protest, likely other people will too. Symptoms may not show, so maybe quarantine yourself after protesting. A protest is not the same as grocery shopping. While shopping for groceries, social distancing guidelines should be maintained. However, this guidance is often disregarded in large-scale protests. These protests are getting out of control in some places.

An example of a group gathering is the pool party in Atlanta, Georgia. A pool party was hosted on Memorial Day as lock-downs were released. This was not against the law or anything, however, it did pose a serious health risk. Since people decided it was fine to do this, 81 new cases have been reported to the CDC.

It never hurts to take a precaution, so before cases do start spreading again, we need to not jeopardize the health of others. Wearing masks and maintaining social distancing policies could have a major impact. According to a May 31st study at the University of Hong Kong with hamsters, wearing a mask can remove 75% chance of getting infected (disease transmission). Try to maintain social distancing policies to prevent the spread of COVID, (according to CDC).

Chances of an increase in the cases is definitely high, which is why it is strongly recommended to maintain social distancing, wearing face masks, and self-quarantining after protesting. Try not to hold large parties or group gatherings. Protest safely!

#BlackLivesMatter #StoptheSpread