Fred Hutch scientist: Tear gas, pepper spray ‘actively exacerbating’ COVID transmission
Jun 8, 2020, 8:12 AM | Updated: 9:26 am
Police clashing with protesters on Capitol Hill. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Seattle police have frequently used measures like tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters in recent weeks, measures one local expert warns could lead to higher transmission rates of COVID-19.
Seattle issues 30-day ban on tear gas at protests
“Police must seek responses that minimize transmission potential,” Fred Hutchinson scientist Trevor Bedford said on Twitter. “Current responses of tear gas, pepper spray and jailing after curfew are actively exacerbating it. Deescalation is even more critical in light of COVID.”
As has been said, wearing masks and protesting outdoors has to help, but shouting, tear gas, pepper spray and closely packed jails will increase transmission potential. NYC alone has arrested over 2000 people in the past week (https://t.co/DP9QGj58KX). 4/21
— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) June 6, 2020
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a 30-day pause on the use of tear gas with that risk in mind. Even so, police authorized its use Sunday night to disperse crowds at 11th and Pine in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Bedford also detailed what we might be able to expect from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the wake of protests.
He estimates that roughly 3,000 infected people could be attending protests daily combined across the United States. From there, he expects that to lead to 3,000 more infections at protests, and then another 3,000 “in the broader community” after the fact.
“My take home here is that the additional infections driven by protests are likely currently small relative to the size of the U.S. epidemic, about a 3% to 6% increase above the estimated ~100k daily infections in the U.S.,” Bedford noted.
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Beyond that, he says there’s a risk presented by the same individuals attending protests regularly, something that could “cause these [transmission] numbers to grow.”
That being so, he also pointed out that the reopening of places like casinos has “not engendered the hand-wringing that the protests have,” despite the risk presented by indoor settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
He advises protesters to quarantine themselves if any symptoms begin to present, wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, avoid yelling or chanting, and “instead use drums or other noise makers.”
Ultimately, Bedford acknowledges the need to recognize the risk of large-scale protests, while still keeping in mind that “racism and state sponsored violence are critical public health issues.”
