After the police harassment on George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the US public is protesting against the inhume treatment on the basis of ethnicity. These “Black Lives Matter” protests are all over in media for the wrong reasons this time. Many people believe that these protests are causing a second wave of coronavirus in the US.
An epidemiologist, Trevor Bedford from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center calculates that these protests can cause 15,000 to 50,000 new cases. He also predicts at least 50 or up to 500 deaths from these positive cases.
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The policies on coronavirus control are turning ineffective as the coronavirus deaths in the US have reached 113,000 deaths. The infections are still nowhere close to an end. There are 50,000 new cases and nearly 1,000 daily deaths in every two or three days.
Even if someone blames these protests for the massive coronavirus spread, it is not a complete truth. While the protestors might not maintain a social distance, a wide majority of them are using a face mask and other precautionary tools.
But guess what? Even these masks are ripped and torn by the police when it attacks the protestors to scatter them. The police only ‘claims’ to use tear gas or any other harmless thing like pepper spray on these protestors. However, many of them have reported physical harassment by policemen.
Not just the protestors but grabbing them and violently coughing due to tear gas can also spread into coronavirus spread, contributing to the second wave of coronavirus in the US.
A research says that the use of tear gas can increase the risk of airborne illnesses and respiratory problems. it means that tear gas is also somehow behind the spread of coronavirus in these protestors.
It is not just the protestors but the police department is also showing irresponsible behavior. At this time when the country is going through the worst phase of this pandemic, the control measures should be more ‘logical’.
The actions of the police are questionable and seem like a threat to public safety especially for minorities. First, the cities re-opened the lockdown too soon before even taking adequate measures. This is why the virus was never ended in the first phase. The reopening is causing numerous cases suggesting probably the lockdown was a good idea to control the coronavirus cases in the USA.
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One most recent example is when Tate Reeves, the Governor of Mississippi announced to re-open all the local businesses such as gyms and salons. The state recorded a high number of coronavirus cases the same day.
A majority of Mississippi’s population is white. But the remaining 50% is Black which is more susceptible to the infection. This reopening of local businesses has caused Black people to suffer more. And still, they are facing this blame for bringing the second wave of coronavirus in the US.
To fight against this pandemic, the US government needs a better response as per the latest figures and data. But right now, it is an inappropriate moment to blame the protestors for spreading the virus. The policemen are equally playing a part in it.
There is a dire need to spend more time and effort into policy development and strategy making. This is the only way to save the Americans from this deadly virus.
