THUNDER BAY - With a large Black Lives Matter protest planned for Friday in the city, public health officials say the risk of COVID-19 spreading is low, but not zero.
“We have been doing very well in this area with respect to COVID, but the risk is there,” said Thunder Bay District Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Janet DeMille. “So if there are people gathering together, it does pose a risk, both for individuals and more broadly for our community.”
The protest is scheduled to take place on Friday at 3 p.m. at Waverley Park. Protests and demonstrations have been taking place around the world following the death of George Floyd, an African American killed by Minneapolis police officers.
Organizers of the local protest say it will be peaceful, physical distancing will be enforced, and everyone will be required to wear a mask.
DeMille said she has seen other protests around the world where physical distancing is still being practiced and she stresses to anyone in attendance to continue to follow all public health guidelines.
“If they do intend to participate in this demonstration that they do so safely,” she said. “If everybody there is taking the appropriate measures and that can be done safely to minimize the spread of the virus at this event.”
Anyone who is sick or has symptoms of COVID-19 is advised to remain home and participate in the demonstration virtually if possible.
“Taking all of those measures will minimize the risk in that particular situation,” DeMille said. “We have been in contact with the organizers. We understand that they take this seriously as well.”
There have been 83 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Thunder Bay District, with three cases listed as active and 79 resolved. One person has died.
DeMille said the region has been doing very well in terms of reducing community spread of COVID-19, but all it takes is one person with symptoms and not wearing a mask in a large gathering to spread it to others.
“We’ve seen that in different settings where people are gathered together or close it can spread very quickly,” she said. “That’s why maybe the risk of that happening is low, but it’s not zero. So people really need to take all those precautions to really reduce the risk of that happening.”
Anyone who participates in the protest on Friday is advised to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days. Anyone who shows symptoms should get tested right away.
“If there is a spread of COVID at that event then we would want to identify it early and act on it early,” DeMille said. “We can do that if people who are symptomatic get tested.”
DeMille added that racism is a public health issue and impacts everyone, including the people of Thunder Bay.
“That impacts us all as a society, as a community, and as individuals,” she said. “So I do appreciate that this is an opportunity that many people will likely be moved and want to gather together in a protest or peaceful demonstration.”
