Protesters – particularly in cities that have struggled to control the novel coronavirus – should “highly consider” getting tested for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, a top US health official said on Thursday.
“Those individuals that have partaken in these peaceful protests or have been out protesting, and particularly if they’re in metropolitan areas that really haven’t controlled the outbreak … we really want those individuals to highly consider being evaluated and get tested,” Robert Redfield, director for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a US House of Representatives committee.
![US: Thousands gather in DC to protest Floyd’s death - - WASHINGTON, USA - JUNE 2: Thousands of peaceful demonstrators holding banners gather in front of the White House for the fifth consecutive day to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died last week after being pinned down by a white police officer in Minneapolis on June 2, 2020 in Washington, DC, United States. [Source: Mediawires] Anadolu/Yasin Öztürk US: Thousands gather in DC to protest Floyd’s death](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2020/6/3/a8a73e2e1c48479c9de79bf15b1438b0_18.jpg)
Redfield also said the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to be a close colleague in public health efforts. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US will end its relationship with the WHO over the body’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.