LOS ANGELES (AP) — Government leaders in the U.S. are warning that the massive protests following the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis could fuel a new surge in cases of the coronavirus.
Minnesota’s governor said Saturday that too many protesters who’ve taken to the streets aren’t socially distancing or wearing masks. He notes the state is still in the middle of a pandemic.
In New York City, where more than 21,000 people have died during the pandemic, a large crowd in Brooklyn tossed water bottles at officers and torched a police van Friday outside the Barclays Center, AP reports.
Health experts also are alarmed by the potential for new virus outbreaks. Meanwhile, the European Union is urging President Donald Trump to rethink his decision to terminate the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization.
Trump on Friday charged that the WHO didn’t respond adequately to the pandemic and accused the U.N. agency of being under China’s “total control.” The U.S. is the largest source of financial support for the WHO, and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization.
