Protesting? Here’s How To Help Keep Your Family Safe From COVID-19 When You Go Home

Public Defender’s organized a march on June 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. It’s the 11th straight day that protesters have taken to the streets in the area to demand racial justice after the killing of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post via Getty Images

Protesting during a pandemic likely leaves participants with at least two questions: Did I get infected? And might I be putting others at risk?

Given that COVID-19 has an incubation time of up to two weeks, experts say it will take a couple of weeks before the impact of the protests on community transmission is known. But in the meantime, there are critical steps you can take to minimize the risks to yourself and those you live with.

Those steps should begin before you even head out, says Dr. Cassandra Pierre, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center and assistant professor at the Boston University School of Medicine.