New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday urged demonstrators joining protests over the death of George Floyd to get tested for the novel coronavirus.
Speaking at his daily press briefing, Cuomo said around 30,000 people have taken part in the statewide protests demanding justice for the killing of the unarmed black man in police custody. Of them, 20,000 were involved in rallies in New York City.
“BE RESPONSIBLE, GET A TEST”
“These are big numbers,” said Cuomo, adding the protesters “have a civic duty” to get tested for the virus. “Be responsible, get a test,” said the governor.
The protests saw protestors and police coming face to face and skipping social distancing guidelines as coronavirus continues to take more lives across the US.
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 after since-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned his neck to the ground for nearly nine minutes, despite Floyd’s repeated pleas that he could not breathe.