Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology.
J Public Health (Oxf)
; 42(4): 696-697, 2020 11 23.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-694759
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Protests ignited by the George Floyd incident were examined for any significant impact on COVID-19 infection rates in select US cities.METHODS:
Eight US cities were studied in which protestors in the tens of thousands were reported. Only cities that reside in states whose stay-at-home orders had been rescinded or expired for a minimum of 30 days were included in the sample to account for impact of growth rates solely due to economies reopening. Event study methodology was used with a 30-day estimation period to examine whether growth in COVID-19 infection rates was significant.RESULTS:
In the eight cities analyzed, all had positive abnormal growth in infection rate. In six of the eight cities, infection rate growth was positive and significant.CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, it was apparent that violations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended social distancing guidelines caused a significant increase in infection rates. The data suggest that to slow the spread of COVID-19, CDC guidelines must be followed in protest situations.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Community Participation
/
Dissent and Disputes
/
Famous Persons
/
Political Activism
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Public Health (Oxf)
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Pubmed
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