Why the Black Lives Matter protests didn't contribute to Covid-19 epidemic

There isn’t evidence that Black Lives Matter protests have led to a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases, despite early concerns from health officials.

HealthLine explains why.

A paper looking at virus data from protests between May 26 and June 20, found “no evidence that urban protests reignited COVID-19 case growth during the more than three weeks following protest onset.”

“We conclude that predictions of broad negative public health consequences of Black Lives Matter protests were far too narrowly conceived,” the authors of the National Bureau of Economic Research paper wrote.

That lines up with what others have seen in various cities.

“I have not seen any peer-reviewed research linking outdoor protests (or really any major outdoor events) to the surge here in Texas,” said Rodney Rohde, PhD, an associate dean for research at Texas State’s College of Health Professions who focuses on public health microbiology.

Texas had been one of the first states to start reopening — including indoor facilities such as bars and movie theaters. But the surge of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks has led to a reimposition of some lockdown measures and a requirement in some regions to wear face masks when in public.

The COVID-19 spike in Texas is likely tied to the reopening, not the protests, Rohde said.

“One can look at the time frame post-protests regarding case counts, hospitalizations, and mortality to see if there may be a correlation. I have not seen that in my observations,” Rohde told Healthline.

The reason is that the protests took place outdoors, in the wind and sun, and most participants wore masks. Contagion mostly happens indoors. Other outdoor events, such as sporting competitions, have people congregating indoors in rest rooms and concessions, and  passageways. That doesn't happen with the protests. Just so you know. Keep on protesting, but wear your mask properly and keep a distance from others.