New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday said that protesters participating in crowded riots over the killing of George Floyd might end up causing a spike in the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the largest city days ahead of its reopening
NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday said that protesters participating in crowded riots over the killing of George Floyd might end up causing a spike in the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the largest city days ahead of its reopening.
On June 8, New York City will enter phase one of the state's plan to reopen after the COVID-19 lockdown, becoming the last region to begin the reopening process.
"If you had a viral spread through these protests, we are not going to see it in the numbers for a while. And in the meantime, we are making all these decisions on reopening," Cuomo said at a press briefing. "The protesters themselves could wind up causing a spike."
The governor asked the participants of the demonstrations to act as if they might have been exposed to the virus and get a COVID-19 test.
"New York City enters phase one Monday with all of this going on. New York City had the highest number of protesters. We have to be smart," Cuomo added.
Anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests have been ongoing across the United States since May 25, when Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in Minneapolis police custody. A video of Floyd's arrest showed a white police officer pressing his knee onto the man's neck for almost nine minutes as the detainee was kept handcuffed on his stomach, repeatedly saying that he could not breathe. The officer was charged with second-degree murder.
