Cleveland.com:
Cleveland’s daily average for new coronavirus cases peaked in May and declined until mid June. Since June 16, when there were about 11 new cases a day, based on a seven-day average, the rate has quadrupled. (Robert Higgs, cleveland.com)
Cleveland’s spike in COVID-19 coronavirus cases that has set daily records twice since Thursday has its roots in the days immediately after the Black Lives Matter protest on May 30 in downtown, Public Health Director Merle Gordon said Monday.
Addressing a City Council committee, Gordon said the onset of cases that are part of the current spike was about June 3 and 4, about the same time the city lifted its daytime travel restrictions in downtown and Ohio City.
The spike in confirmed cases began in mid-June and quadrupled the daily average for new cases through Sunday, data tracked by cleveland.com found.
Gordon did not tie the onset directly to the protest, a rally organized by Black Lives Matter that Cuyahoga County’s sheriff estimates involved 3,000 to 4,000 people and later devolved into rioting downtown.
But she noted that as people gather and interact, the case numbers are climbing.
