In the heat of the protests against police killings, it’s easy to forget that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. This image is from today’s New York Times, showing the places in our country where cases of COVID-19 have continued to increase or are decreasing (orange/red for increasing, blue for decreasing — the increasing areas were increasing before the protests):
And here is an image, also from today’s New York Times, tracking the locations where protests have occurred:
By their nature, most of the protests are not able to conform to the type of social distancing practices recommended by health authorities. From the images of protesters I’ve seen, it appears that a majority are wearing some type of mask, but many are not. However masks can only do so much, and in places where the weather is hot, or when confrontations occur and tear gas and pepper spray are used and people need to rinse their faces, the masks start coming off. It’s like having 75-100 rock concerts per day, for each day the protests continue.
It’s a difficult balancing act. There is the need and reason to protest, but there is also the need to do what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19. At the least, I think the following is a good idea:
1. In between protests, younger people who form the majority of protesters and who are at the lowest risk level for COVID-19 should do what they can to isolate themselves from the higher risk groups (65+ years old and/or existing health conditions). These isolation efforts should continue for 14 days after the last protest attended.
2. People 65+ years old or with existing health conditions that put them at higher risk should seriously consider not protesting, and showing your support in other ways. If you have friends or family that attend protests, you should consider isolating yourself from them for 14 days after the last protest they attend.
3. Wear a mask and keep it on during the protest, and if it becomes necessary to take it off for some reason, do your best to be separated from others when you do. As much as you can manage under the circumstances, practice social distancing.
If you have other ideas about how to lower the infection risk for protesters and their families and friends, please share them in the comments below!