Top government infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that the mass protests following the death of George Floyd raise the risk of a surge in coronavirus cases.
“What runs through my mind is … the congregation of large crowds at a time and in an area — a geographic area — where, clearly, there is active infection transmission. It’s a perfect setup for further spread of the virus in the sense of creating these blips which might turn into some surges,” Fauci said in a radio appearance on WTOP.
The past week has seen large-scale protests around the country, often involving thousands of people standing close to one another without wearing protective face coverings. Chanting and shouting without masks is thought to raise the risk of transmitting the coronavirus to others. As police have used irritants and tear gas to disperse crowds, more people are sneezing, coughing, and touching their faces.
“It’s a delicate balance because the reasons for demonstrating are valid. And yet, the demonstration itself puts one at an additional risk, so the only thing we can do as public health officials is to keep warning people be careful,” Fauci said.
Protests in Washington, D.C., have occurred for several consecutive days, lasting for hours on end. Fauci said the city’s risk of a surge in cases is especially high, given the already-high coronavirus infection rate in the area prior to Floyd’s death on Memorial Day.
“I’ve seen on TV as the demonstrations start to heat up, people might take their masks off when they’re starting to yell and scream and demonstrate. Keep your mask on,” he added.
Before the protests began, the rates of new daily coronavirus cases were slowing. Every state and the district have begun reopening, and government officials will be reluctant to implement new restrictions if new coronavirus cases appear. Over 1.8 million cases have been reported in the United States.
