Are public protests still okay in the Covid-19 era?

Covid-19 cases are rising in Pakistan steadily for the last few weeks. The public was told that Pakistan has successfully defeated the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes Covid-19). We were further told the world is amazed at our success in controlling the pandemic. The government distributed awards and everyone patted each other on the back. The pandemic was over for almost everyone in Pakistan and it was business as usual — no one was wearing a mask and SOPs seemed a distant history.

But epidemiologists were observing a steady increase in the cases for the past many weeks. Though the number was still small, for epidemiologists, it was not a good indicator. However, the official line remained self-congratulatory with a careful disclaimer of “the pandemic is still not over”. Then the opposition parties announced a countrywide protests.

The government just remembered what epidemiologists were saying all along. The pandemic does not end until we have a vaccine, effective medicines or developed herd immunity. None are here so we need to be very vigilant. We have to resume our lives but we should be following public health guidelines. However, the government’s timing of realising the danger of the opposition’s protest has created a trust deficit for government — as cases increase, the opposition considers it an excuse by the government to get out of a difficult situation.

So is it okay to organise public protests during the pandemic? In the US, there were protests against the lockdown and then against racial discrimination. Both attracted sizable crowds and public health professionals were divided on the subject. But here are the key points:

Every time you leave go out for work, shopping or leisure, you increase your risk of getting infected. We could mitigate this risk by following public health measures like wearing masks, keeping a six feet distance, washing hands with soap and preferring outdoors over indoors. Crowds also increase our risk of getting infected. We need to question our activity outside the house to see if it’s worth the risk. There is no situation with zero risk but everyday life is a process of evaluating and balancing risk and benefit of each activity.

Without being political and making a recommendation for whether one should participate in a protest or not, let’s breakdown this decision in steps. First, ask yourself if the cause is worth the risk. In the US, protesters against lockdowns felt that restrictions caused more damage than Covid-19. Most public health experts disagreed. When protesters were out against racial discrimination, they felt the risk of getting infected is less than having racial injustice in society. So decide if the cause outweighs the risk.

If you are organising these protests, please ensure a few conditions to safeguard the participants’ health.

Everyone should wear masks. Arrange protests and meetings only in outdoor settings as it decreases the risk of transmission. Plan meetings in daylight as the sun disrupts the virus’ spread. Keep a six feet distance between participants. Hand sanitisers should be freely available. Discourage chanting or loud speaking in close quarters as it spreads the virus. Participants and leaders should not embrace or shake hands and the duration of the meetings must be short to limit exposure time.

Public protests are part of a vibrant democracy and keeps governments’ decision making processes in check. As life moves on, political processes will also find a way. However, we must minimise the risk of virus spread.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2020.

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