Coronavirus infections among Los Angeles police officers have spread in recent weeks, reflecting the widespread rise in regional cases and raising new questions about the role of protest in the spread.
Police officials said the crowd was out amid shouting as the crowd dispersed. Protesters say authorities have recklessly arrested people for not wearing masks, exposing not only themselves but also other people.
Last week, the number of positive cases in the LAPD workforce increased from 170 to 206, Chief Michelle Moore told the Civil Police Commission on Tuesday.
“This is a 21% increase and more than double the rate of our historical change over the epidemic,” he said.
Moore said the majority of LAPD employees who tested positive were sworn officers, despite dozens of civilian employees. Three were hospitalized with COVID-19, and many returned to work.
After the commission's meeting, Moore said it was partly due to "confronting the authorities with challenging circumstances" during recent protests and demonstrations.
George Floyd, including Brian Taylor in Queens, Los Angeles and Louisville, has been protesting against police killings of black men and women in the country and elsewhere in the world. In late May and early this month, police officers were forced to disperse with protesters, bombing and dispersing the crowd.
“In many cases, officers have tried to cover the face, but have been challenged to be effective with each other or on the radio,” Moore said.
Meanwhile, protesters and their supporters tortured the LAPD and individual officials for not wearing masks during the protests, saying they were in danger. Several lawsuits over the LAPD's protest response cited the lack of masks on officials and the inappropriate response of a group of protesters arrested on buses packed during an epidemic.
During a public comment at an online meeting of the Police Commission on Tuesday, many callers expressed dismay at Moore, saying that it is not surprising that officials have been infected with the virus, saying that many of them dismiss and deny public safety concerns. Amidst the protests.
The incubation period of the coronavirus can last up to two weeks, which means that the epidemics of the previous week have sparked protests throughout the region.
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the rise in recent positive cases is "too much" for mass protests.
Ferrer pointed out that after weeks of increased social celebrations and orders to stay home and close, more businesses could be opened. Moore also cites such points.
Los Angeles County officials reported more than 2 thousand new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total number to 88,200. About 3,200 people died.
Multiple protesters arrested or interacting with police during protests, when officers did not wear masks, dismissed their laughter or voiced their concerns.
24-year-old Camila Baron of Studio City was arrested along with a friend and hundreds of others during a curfew violation, during which she protested peacefully.
In the process, most of the protesters were undercover, but none of the police officers did so. She said it was a controversy.
"One girl asked the original," Why don't any of you wear masks? You are putting everyone at risk. "And an official said," We don't believe the masks will help anyone. " This girl basically said to this officer, 'What about facts and statistics and science?'
Moore said officers were advised to wear masks whenever possible and that most were carried under a face-shield attached to a riot helmet. Moore also urged the department to improve workplace cleanliness, wash hands and use gloves regularly.
In all, LAPD conducted 1,900 tests on staff. Positive results have also increased; Moore said the positivity rate has increased to 11.7 percent in the past two weeks, and L.A. County has increased. The county’s positivity rate jumped to 8.4% this week from 5.8% two weeks ago.
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