Protesters involved in large rallies should check for COVID-19, health officials say

Health authorities are asking protesters involved in large rallies in the past two weeks to check themselves for COVID-19.

On Monday, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix and the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said thousands of protesters at Sunday’s anti-racism rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery and a pro-Hong Kong rally the weekend before had engaged in risky behaviour.

There is an order that there be no gatherings of more than 50 people in B.C. and social-distancing rules need to be followed for legal gatherings of less than 50 people.

“Large gatherings remain very high risk, even outdoors,” Henry said. “Those who were there (Sunday), you may have put yourself at risk and you may bring that back to your home. You need to monitor yourself carefully over the next coming days to two weeks.

“If you have any symptoms at all, you need to self-isolate, you need to get tested, you need to be sure that you’re not contributing to further transmission of this virus.”

Dix said protesters needed to find non-traditional ways to get their message across.

“To find new ways, different ways to protest in our society, to express opposition in our society, to express points of view and to bring change in our society,” he said. “That will require us using, as is happening in every area, new methods to do that, new means to do that. We have to remember that gatherings put many people at risk and we absolutely have to keep that in mind.”