Is the right to protest outweighed by the responsibility to not spread COVID-19? The debate intensifies

This appeared in The Millennial Source

Despite a dramatic increase in the number of coronavirus cases globally — led by a number of new hotspots in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa — coronavirus cases in the United States have been leveling off.

In the US, deaths attributed to the virus have been on the decline since early May, although hundreds of people are still dying each day. As of June 7, at least 112,000 Americans have died from the virus.

With restrictions easing and the summer months ahead, public health officials were already expecting a rise in cases, but in the wake of the mass protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, some are worried that the virus could spread faster.

For those protesting against racial injustice and police brutality, precautions over COVID-19 are a secondary concern to speaking out. But because of the potential for a rise in cases, are any kind of gatherings justified during a pandemic?

Medical risks

According to Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist who teaches at Yale University, there will likely be a bump in cases within a month or so from the start…