The head of the White House coronavirus task force on Tuesday expressed concern that the protests currently engulfing the United States might help spread the outbreak.
The death of George Floyd last week after he was pinned down by a police officer in Minneapolis has ignited days of protests, some turning violent.
Dr Deborah Birx explained that not all those taking part in the demonstrations were taking the necessary precautions, like wearing face masks or keeping a safe distance.
“I do worry, I worry terribly,” she said during a video conference version of The German Marshall Fund’s Brussels Forum.
For nearly a week since Floyd’s death, largely peaceful protests by day have turned to chaos at night.
Birx said the task force team was liaising with mayors to increase testing availability “over the next week or two”.
This would enable protesters to “get tested and really know their status before they unknowingly spread it to the elderly”, she continued.
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