CNN Reports No Rise in Coronavirus Cases After Protests (Snort)

Positive tests for the coronavirus are shooting up in some states, but Black Lives Matter supporters have apparently become immune to the disease.

A new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows “no evidence that coronavirus cases grew in the weeks following the beginning of the protests.” How is that possible? The researchers concluded that the protesters many have been virus magnets but everyone else in the vicinity was too frightened to go out. They sheltered in place and kept their distance from other people.

So while protesters might very well have increased the number of infected people, the fact that everyone else sheltered-in-place led to fewer cases.

CNN:

“Our findings suggest that any direct decrease in social distancing among the subset of the population participating in the protests is more than offset by increasing social distancing behavior among others who may choose to shelter-at-home and circumvent public places while the protests are underway,” the report reads.

It’s still possible that protests may have caused an increase in the spread of the virus among those who attended protests, according to the report.

That’s not the same as the CNN headline: “Black Lives Matter protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases, research says.” The research doesn’t say that. It says the protests might very well have led to a spike in cases but because people stayed indoors during the rioting, those who ordinarily might have become infected weren’t. The result was a wash in the total number of cases.

The researchers were honest enough to admit this.

Researchers also noted that the effect of protests on social distancing and stay-at-home orders may fade as the violence and scope of protests decline. As the protests begin to lessen or become less intense, non-protesters will feel safer leaving their homes.

“There are other possible explanations for our findings as well, such as avoiding travel outside the home due to additional traffic congestion or street closures, or due to lack of available activities from businesses closures near protest sites,” the study reads.

This study gathered its data at the beginning of the month. We don’t yet know how many more people will test positive as a result of the protests. And we may never know. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered contact tracers not to ask people if they attended the protests. This guarantees that even if there’s an increase in positive tests, Cuomo and Black Lives Matter can blame it on something else.

Other Democratic governors may follow suit. The drumbeat in the media against those states that are already open and thriving is growing, using the expected increase in cases as “evidence” these heartless monster governors opened too soon. But any increase in Democratic states will not be blamed on the protests.

Because Black Lives Matter activists are immune, right?