Protests could lead to coronavirus spread, warn health experts

Protestors across Michigan have dealt with tear gas and police blockades, but they may have a more significant hurdle: COVID-19.

Demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and racism in policing have exploded over the past two weeks, at the same time as coronavirus numbers have declined and state restrictions on public gatherings have loosened.

Still, many health experts are worried those same demonstrations could lead to an resurgence of coronavirus numbers, according to an article on MLive.

Dr. Joel Fishbain is an infectious disease specialist for Beaumont Health. He’s among the health professionals watching coronavirus statistics.

“What happens with COVID when you take thousands of people who are not socially distancing, about 50% of whom are wearing masks, and they’re yelling and screaming over each other?” he said. “It’s this social scientific experiment.”

We won’t know whether protests have had an impact for a couple of weeks. That’s because COVID-19 can have a 14-day incubation period during which the virus can spread but those infected may not exhibit symptoms.

The fact that protests are outdoors might help contain the spread, though the lack of social distancing might counteract that.

You can read the full story here.