The medical officer of health for London and Middlesex says he doesn’t expect there to be a spike in novel coronavirus cases as a result of the mass turnout over the weekend at a large anti-racism rally in the downtown core.
An estimated 10,000 people attended and marched in the Black Lives Matter rally in Victoria Park on Saturday to denounce racism, systemic discrimination and police brutality.
The rally came in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as the deaths in London and Toronto of Caleb Tubila Njoko, 27, and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29, respectively.
Both fell from balconies during police encounters that are being investigated by the province’s police watchdog.
Similar rallies were also held across the country in Toronto, Montreal, St. John’s, and Calgary.
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Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dr. Chris Mackie said despite the large local crowd, he didn’t see the rally being a major contributor to the region’s coronavirus case count.
“When we look at all of the openings and increased contact across our whole society right now,