Is the Fight for Human Rights & Racial Justice Overriding the Coronavirus Risk?

Black Lives Matter protest in London May 31. Credit: Tara Carey / Equality NowBy Thalif DeenUNITED NATIONS, Jun 2 2020 (IPS) The deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 372,000 people worldwide, has reinforced the concept of “social distancing” which bars any gathering of over 10 or 20 people – whether at a social event, a wedding, a political rally or even a funeral. In the US, guidelines laid down by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are loudly clear: “limit face-to-face contact, stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people. Do not gather in groups. And stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.” But all those warnings have been unceremoniously jettisoned as hundreds and thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in several cities, including in Hongkong, Argentina, Lebanon, Brazil, Israel, Ukraine and India, and most recently in the US and UK. In the United States alone, where coronavirus deaths have exceeded 103,000, demonstrators in riot-torn cities in 31 States have openly defied edicts both from medical experts and city and State authorities resulting in curfews. The defiant stand has triggered the question: is the fight for human rights and racial justice overriding coronavirus threats — even as thousands have participated in demonstrations violating stay-at-home orders and stoking fears of a sharp increase in infections upending virus control efforts? The Mayor of the ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Crime & Justice Democracy Featured Global Globalisation Headlines Health Human Rights TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news