Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel pointed out Wednesday that “leaders, mayors and governors” who once enforced lockdown procedures to contain the coronavirus are not criticizing protesters who don’t observe proper social distancing guidelines.
“Can we believe leaders, mayors and governors who one week say you have to be locked down because of COVID-19 and the next week they totally forget about [it] and, as you say, they are getting together with protesters who are not obeying social distancing?” Siegel asked as a guest on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Siegel noted that the protesters — even those who aren’t engaging in rioting and looting — are angry and “when you are angry, when you are having a lot of emotion and passion — you know what you do? You don’t take precautions.” (RELATED: Owner Of Gutted Minneapolis Shopping Center Tells Governor And Mayor: ‘People Will Uprise Over This’)
The doctor said that Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is distributing masks to the crowds but that they are not effective since the crowd was not practicing social distancing. “They’re rubbing their masks, they’re spitting through their masks and they’re touching each other,” he noted, adding that coronavirus infections in Minnesota have dropped to just seven cases in Minnesota on June 2.
“So we are waiting to see, Tucker, what is going to happen to Minneapolis now? We are all for the First Amendment, for protesting, of course … I’m wondering what’s going to happen to Minneapolis now with all these protests and no social distancing.” (RELATED: Seattle Councilmember Says She Can’t Figure Out Why ‘Looting Bothers People’ When People Are ‘Dying Every Day)
Peaceful protests and violent rioting have erupted across the country over the death of George Floyd after his arrest by Minnesota police. Derek Chauvin, the former officer who was seen in a video with his knee on Floyd’s neck, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter Friday. His charge increased to second-degree murder Wednesday.
Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin poses for a booking photograph at the Ramsey County Detention Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. May 29, 2020. Ramsey County Detention Center/Handout via REUTERS.
“To me this is a public health experiment. You and I have been saying from the beginning, we don’t believe lockdowns work, we think they are draconian, we think they are unnecessary; but … our leaders are relieving the lockdowns by allowing people to congregate,” Siegel said, promising to return to Carlson’s “show next week and tell you, lockdowns helped or they didn’t.”
“If we don’t see a spike in cases as a result we’ll know that the media and our politicians were overhyping the lockdowns to get political gain.”