Exercising your First Amendment right is part of being a responsible citizen in this country. Unfortunately for those wanting to protest police brutality and racial injustice against Black people, we are also in the midst of a global pandemic that spreads very easily.
So, if you’re out protesting, and want to stay safe from COVID-19, experts recommend the following steps:
Before the protest:
1. Wear a mask
2. Bring a backup mask
3. Bring hand sanitizer
4. Wear goggles or something that protects your eye
5. Bring plenty of water
6. Find a smaller protest if possible7. DO NOT GO IF YOU’RE FEELING SICK.
8. Do not protest if you’re immunocompromised. There are other ways to help
9. Make a sign or bring a noisemaker instead of yelling (yelling could emit more droplets of COVID-19)
During the protest:
10. Stay with a buddy group to reduce close contact with others
11. Sanitize your hands periodically
12. Maintain safe distance from others
13. Avoid shaking hands and high-fiving
14. If you get teargassed, try to avoid rubbing your eyes and nose
After the protest:
15. Wash your hands immediately
16. Take your clothes off and wash throw them in the washer or store them somewhere to wash later
17. Take a shower
18. Consider quarantining for 14-days if you haven’t followed any of the previous steps
19. After four days of not protesting, take a COVID-19 test if possible
Information from this post was taken from experts at Vox, LiveScience and The Guardian
This article first appeared at our sister publication The Cleveland Scene.
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