Protesters urged to get tested as experts sound the alarm over coronavirus spread

Experts have sounded alarm over the coronavirus spread as Black Lives Matter crowds swell to enormous numbers worldwide.

Experts and officials warned about a possible increase of coronavirus infections as thousands of people in the US took to the streets across the country to protest against the killing of George Floyd in police custody.

Protests have spread worldwide, while thousands who marched in a Black Lives Matter rally through Australia’s capital cities on Saturday struggled to maintain social distancing as they jostled for space, despite efforts by organisers to dispense hand sanitiser and face masks.

In the US, there have been more than 1.87 million confirmed cases and more than 108,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. Last Friday, the US had 1.74 million cases and reported deaths exceeded 102,000.

Experts say the exact tally might be higher, as testing capabilities and reporting standards vary from state to state. Some testing locations were also shut down this week as demonstrations unfolded across the nation in cities large and small.

The crowd in Philly is...unfathomable? I can’t even guess. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/02ZIcyTXW5

— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) June 6, 2020

Several Los Angeles COVID-19 testing sites reopened Friday after being preventively closed because of protests. Illinois and Pennsylvania also shut down some testing facilities citing safety concerns earlier in the week.

Robert Redfield, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, encouraged demonstrators to get tested to help mitigate the spread of the disease.

“I do think there is potential, unfortunately, for this to be a seeding event,” Dr. Redfield said while testifying before Congress on Thursday.

Healthcare workers march during a protest against police brutality and racism on June 6 in Washington DC.

Officials in New York, where daily deaths dropped below 50 this week, also expressed concern over the impact of protests and the spread of the virus. “We don’t even know the consequence of the COVID virus for those mass gatherings,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said earlier this week. “We won’t even know for weeks. How many super spreaders were in that crowd?” The number of confirmed coronavirus cases eased in May after rising dramatically in April, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. Cases jumped from 213,602 on April 1 to more than 1.4 million on May 1. As June began, there were more than 1.8 million confirmed cases in the US.

But as reopenings have accelerated across the country, more than a dozen US states have seen confirmed cases increase in the last week at a pace faster than in the week prior, a Journal analysis of Johns Hopkins data shows.

Experts have warned mass demonstrations have the potential to be a ‘seeding event’.

The spread of the virus picked up in Utah weeks after reopenings began, said Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health. She said she is very concerned about the rise in infections and urged residents to use face coverings and maintain social distancing.

“This past week, we’ve had a sharp spike in cases, and it’s not explained easily by a single outbreak or increase in testing,” Dr. Dunn said Wednesday. “This is a statewide trend.”

In Nashville, Tenn., a surge in the number of daily coronavirus cases reported has slowed reopening plans. Alex Jahangir, a surgeon and the head of the city’s COVID-19 task force, said case counts over the last few days had increased the city’s seven-day average. The city will wait to make a decision on when to begin its next reopening phase.

It’s a very tight squeeze as thousands begin making their way onto the Golden Gate Bridge for today’s #BlackLivesMatter march @sfchronicle pic.twitter.com/EDtKQEHJSk

— Jessica Christian (@jachristian) June 6, 2020

“It is concerning enough for us to slow down and see what’s happening over the next few days,” Dr. Jahangir said Thursday.

Other states and regions have seen a rise in positive COVID-19 cases this week as testing capabilities expanded, while reporting gaps prompted some other large jumps.

Los Angeles County, for example, reported a significant increase in cases Thursday, but health officials there said the surge was from a lag in reporting from a particular lab. The county has a total of nearly 60,000 cases and more than 2,500 deaths.

Black Lives Matter protesters in Melbourne on Saturday, one of several mass demonstrations around the country.

Following a week of a record number of cases in Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Thursday that a regional approach to lifting restrictions would be considered. Cases in the northwestern portion of the state, particularly among the Hispanic community, climbed steeply.

“The spike in the new cases that we have reflects the dramatic increase in testing that we’re doing,” Mr. Hutchinson said, adding that more testing was being done in places that have seen a jump in positive cases.

Despite a roughly 13% increase in the weekly number of reported coronavirus cases in Florida, Universal Orlando Resort reopened its theme parks on Friday, one of the first major entertainment venues to do so since pandemic restrictions took effect in March. The parks, which typically host millions of visitors annually, will require face coverings and temperature checks for attendees and staff.

The Wall Street Journal