Little evidence that protests spread coronavirus in US

virus-outbreak-protest-cases

FILE - In this Saturday, June 6, 2020 file photo, demonstrators gather near the White House in Washington, to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Public health experts say there is little evidence that the protests that erupted after Floyd’s death caused a significant increase in coronavirus infections. If the protests had driven an explosion in cases, experts say, the jumps would have started to become apparent within two weeks — and perhaps as early as five days. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

virus-outbreak-protest-cases

NEW YORK (AP) — Public health experts say there is little evidence that the protests that erupted after George Floyd’s death caused a significant increase in coronavirus infections. If the protests had driven an explosion in cases, experts say, the jumps would have started to become apparent within two weeks — and perhaps as early as five days. But that didn’t happen in many cities with the largest protests. The Associated Press reviewed trends in daily reported cases in 22 U.S. cities with protests. It found post-protest increases in several cities, but experts say other factors were more likely the main drivers.