Geisinger discourages large gatherings of any kind amid protests and summer events
DANVILLE – Geisinger says they are still discouraging large gatherings of any kind amid the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. President and CEO, Dr. Jaewon Ryu says it’s still too early to tell what the impact of recent protests will have on the coronavirus curve, “Those protests are not different than other large gatherings that we continue to see, whether it’s backyard barbeques, or people not practicing distancing or masking. Or, some parties around Memorial Day weekend, I think those are all as concerning.”
He says the time line between exposure, testing positive, and then possible hospitalization can be weeks long and a person is contagious most of that time. Dr. Ryu says he thinks we will see what the impact will be in the next week or so, “Any large gathering, we absolutely need to be careful around maintaining distancing and doing the masking. I think those steps are universal regardless of setting or event and of course, we are still discouraging any large gatherings of people along those lines.”
With that being said, Dr. Ryu adds that Geisinger, like many others, are horrified and saddened by recent events which serve as a reminder that we as a society still have quite a bit of work to do when it comes to issues of inequality and racism, “When we have that kind of culture, that addresses diversity and inclusion and really puts those at the forefront, we know that do a better job of managing the health of people.”
Ryu says they encourage any protests to be done in a peaceful manner and in a way that recognizes masking and social distancing.
