'Boost virus safety', says Red Cross to authorities and protest leaders in US
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Protesters have been thronging cities across the United States demanding an end to racism and police brutality ever since George Floyd, an African American man, died after being pinned down by police officers more than a week ago.
The Red Cross on Thursday called on US authorities and those leading the demonstrations raging across the country to help ensure protesters can gather without fear of sparking fresh coronavirus outbreaks.
"It is about common sense," Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in an interview.
He lamented that television images of the protests showed many marching without wearing masks or other protective gear such as gloves, and pressed together is small spaces.
"This is a bad signal, of course. And of even more concern in a country that is having this bad impact with COVID-19," he said.
Protesters have been thronging cities across the United States demanding an end to racism and police brutality ever since George Floyd, an African American man, died after being pinned down by police officers more than a week ago.
But in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Red Cross leaders are calling on officials and protest leaders to do more to ensure that the demonstrations can go ahead safely with regard to the COVID-19 virus.
The United States remains the country worst affected by the pandemic, counting more than 107,000 deaths, more than a quarter of the global total. More than 1.8 million people in the country have been infected.