It Doesn't Look Like the Protests Are Causing a COVID-19 Spike

[marmar]

It Doesn’t Look Like the Protests Are Causing a COVID-19 Spike
What does that mean for other outdoor activities?

By FRED KAPLAN


(Slate) When tens of thousands of people hit the streets protesting the police killing of George Floyd, many worried that the crowds—often too dense to allow the recommended 6 feet of social distancing—would spark a new wave of COVID-19 cases. Yet in New York, city and state officials tell me, there have been no spikes of the illness.

Nor have there been sudden surges in several other cities where large demonstrations were held, including Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed and the first protests erupted, and Philadelphia. Spikes have occurred elsewhere—especially Texas, Arizona, Florida, and California—but they coincided with the reopening of bars, restaurants, and other indoor establishments, making it hard to trace the upticks to the protests.

The absence of surges in the cities with massive demonstrations but few other large gatherings has taken many officials and health analysts by surprise. However, as they’ve examined the data and the video footage, one thing has clarified matters, to an extent: A large percentage of the protesters wore masks. ....................(more)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/protests-covid-outdoor-masks.html?fbclid=IwAR2vHZ-SrLAMuzbcSz2xu9XgjXHCSVccPPjwJhufkVJ-vdE3kdBiDElToVk

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. I thought cases were spiking.

[Mariana]

4. There's no correlation between the protests and the spikes.

Cases are spiking in some places, and decreasing in other places. The spikes aren't happening because there were protests, they were going to happen anyway.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Not among protesters

apparently. Among yahoos who refuse to wear masks and follow protocol? Spiky.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Looks that way. Another article to the same effect:

https://www.wired.com/story/what-minnesotas-protests-are-revealing-about-covid-19-spread/

[liberalmuse]

3. The Trumpsters aren't wearing masks in Tulsa.

The thing is, there are a few wearing masks, but that will protect the others from their fluids, not the other way around. It only works if most people put on a mask. It will be interesting to see what happens. I hope they don't become super-spreaders in their respective communities.

[stillcool]

5. a higher percentage of masks...

were worn by protesters, than are worn in my local hardware store. I'm sure there will be spikes, but I guess those mask things work pretty good. Even with teargas!