Cities Are Shutting Down Covid-19 Testing Because of Protests
Hampering coronavirus testing could make the pandemic harder to control
Thousands of people took to the streets this week to protest the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. In some cities, rioting and looting occurred alongside the protests, leaving windows smashed in and buildings vandalized. Officials in some of those cities responded by shutting down coronavirus testing sites.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti closed testing sites on Saturday. The city’s health services director, Christina Ghaly, said the protests were affecting public safety. While some sites reopened Tuesday, many were closed again on Wednesday due to “curfews during the recent civil unrest,” as Los Angeles County’s Covid-19 website read.
On Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health shut down all state-run testing sites. Illinois Emergency Management Agency director Alicia Tate-Nadeau, who ordered the closure, said the move was to “protect staff and those utilizing these services.” The sites remained closed Tuesday, reported NBC Chicago, noting that part of the reason for the closure was the “re-assignment of National Guard soldiers, who are helping law enforcement agencies across the state deal with civil unrest and looting.”
