Samantha Maiden investigates the right-wing claims that Victoria’s recent increase in coronavirus cases are explained by transmission through the Black Lives Matters rallies: “a fortnight later, the incubation period for coronavirus, experts do not believe there are any confirmed cases of someone catching COVID-19 at the rallies. That’s despite the four people in Victoria confirmed to have attended the BLM protests who were subsequently diagnosed with COVID. Surprisingly, even in the United States where the coronavirus is rampant, some of the cities where the biggest BLM rallies occurred, including New York and Philadelphia, have actually recorded a fall in COVID cases after the protests.” Victoria’s chief health officer: “I don’t think the Black Lives Matter protest has contributed.” His federal counterparts: “[T]here is no evidence that there has been chains of community transmission that we are aware of through the Black Lives Matter protests.” Masks and hand hygiene work. Wear a mask and wash your hands.
23 June 2020