MONTREAL -- Protesting and physical distancing don’t really mix. Today, for example, for thousands of demonstrators packed into Parc Emilie-Gamelin to rally against racism, staying two metres apart was next to impossible.
What was harder to predict was whether people would be vigilant about wearing masks— so organizers came prepared.
“We are mobilizing a whole team to make sure people are safe,” said Elijah Olise as he handed out coronavirus safety kits to protesters on Sunday.
Most people arrived wearing their own masks, but some didn’t.
The safety kits had masks, goggles, water bottles and some written instructions. Olise and his team, from a group called Black Row Allegiance, gave out hundreds of them.
“We just wanted to be prepared and to make sure everybody is safe and healthy and nobody is spreading any viruses, you know?” he said.
He’s not the only one concerned about the spread of COVID-19 at the widespread protests over the last two weeks, after the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd by a police officer.
“During this pandemic, any time there are gatherings of people, inherently, there is a degree of risk,” says Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious disease expert at McGill University.
Oughton says the presence of COVID-19 isn’t a reason to tell people to stay home from the protests. After all, the violence and other inequalities they’re demonstrating against also add up to serious health risk, too, he says.
“You could make a very strong argument that systemic discrimination and systemic racism is also a major problem of public health significance,” Oughton told CTV News.
But going to the protests means each individual must weigh the risks and try to minimize them for himself or herself, he said.
On Monday, Canada’s top health officials encouraged protesters to take the necessary precautions.
“Wearing a mask, having hand sanitizers and having access to handwashing will be very important,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.
Before both of Montreal’s protest events on Sunday—a march downtown and a vigil in an NDG park—organizers included that advice in their descriptions of the events, asking people to bring their own supplies to minimize infection.
They also encouraged people at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus to stay home and find a way to participate that would be safer for them.
Once they arrived, too, participants got plenty of reminders.
"We have our masks…it’s mandatory,” said Denburk Reid, one organizer of the NDG vigil, where hundreds of people kneeled simultaneously in Loyola Park for several minutes of silent reflection.
“We provided masks for everybody that might not have [them],” he said. “We’re just asking people to respect the rules… and distance yourself.”
But in a way, it means even more to see people coming out amid the pandemic, he said.
“You're taking a chance by being here, but it shows that it’s an important cause, for them to take that chance to be here today.”
Mass demonstratings are showing little sign of slowing, so these informal rules are likely to take on increasing importance. People are asked to take all the precautions they can, including staying home if they’re feeling sick.
