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State epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn expressed concern about increased spread of the coronavirus in the aftermath of violent protests in Salt Lake City this weekend.
“From a public health perspective, the behaviors we saw at protests over the weekend were alarming. As our increasing case counts have indicated, we are nowhere near being out-of-the-woods when it comes to the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” Dunn said in a statement to FOX 13. “Large group gatherings, especially where social distancing is not feasible or not practiced, are simply not safe right now.”
Thousands protested on Saturday to denounce racism and the use of deadly force by law enforcement. Little attention was paid to social distancing, and many didn’t wear masks.
“Anyone who attended the protests over the weekend should monitor themselves for symptoms,” Dunn told FOX 13. “If they develop symptoms they should seek out testing and isolate themselves until their test results are returned.”
Read more at FOX 13.
Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.
