Coronavirus testing sites close down in some cities hit by protests, violence

Community coronavirus testing sites are closing in several states as a precaution as protests and unrest spread over the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Among the closures are sites in Illinois, California and Florida, according to reports.

National protests erupted this week after video emerged of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he begged for air during his May 25 arrest on suspicion of fraud.

Floyd, a black man, later died. Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, has been arrested in the death. He and three other Minneapolis police officers also have been fired.

Some of the protests, which have spread from Minneapolis across the nation, have resulted in clashes with police, fires and looting.

Dozens of U.S. cities have enacted curfews, and the National Guard has been called out in at least 15 states and Washington, D.C., Business Insider reported.

All community-based coronavirus testing sites in Illinois remained closed Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported on Twitter. The agency did not say when the sites will reopen.

In Florida, a Division of Emergency Management testing site in a parking lot outside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville remained closed Sunday and Monday, WJXT reported.

A spokesperson for the agency said the site was closed to “ensure the safety of patients and employees,” according to the station. There was no indication when it would reopen.

All coronavirus testing stations in the city of Los Angeles closed at 3 p.m. Saturday, KTLA reported.

“We need to make sure, especially in communities that have less power, that we are able to make sure people don’t disproportionately die because of the color of their skin,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti, according to the station. “We can’t do that when the city breaks down.”

Some testing sites, such as Dodger Stadium, reopened Monday while others in the city and Los Angeles County will remain closed, LAist reported.

In nearby Long Beach, city officials closed all coronavirus testing centers until further notice “for the safety of the public and medical professionals,” officials said Monday, reported the Long Beach Post.

The closures come as some health experts warn that closely packed protesters, some of whom are not wearing masks, risk spreading coronavirus, McClatchy News previously reported.

“Shouting and cheering loudly, that does produce a lot of droplets and aerosolization that can spread the virus to people,” said Dr. James Phillips, a physician and assistant professor at George Washington University Hospital, CNN reported.

He urged protesters to wear face masks and follow social distancing guidelines as much as possible, according to the network.

“There is still a pandemic in America that’s killing black and brown people at higher numbers,” said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, according to the New York Daily News. She urged protesters to seek out coronavirus testing.

More than 6.2 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 373,000 deaths as of May 31, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1.7 million confirmed cases with more than 104,000 deaths.

The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a global pandemic. In the United States, President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency.

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Coronavirus testing sites close down in some cities hit by protests, violence."