Los Angeles County has had a new surge in coronavirus infections following weeks of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Last week, LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced that the sudden spike in new cases was “highly likely” related to the ongoing protests and riots across LA. The protests, which are joined by tens of thousands of people, started after the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd.

“The increase in transmission likely occurred sometime around the week of Memorial Day week or shortly thereafter,” the Times noted, blaming the re-opening of businesses, including bars.

But it should also be considered that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement riots started right after Memorial Day week, which also resulted in the mass gathering of people in crowded streets and neighborhoods. In the early days of the protests, the turn out was overwhelming; one would even think that those people completely forgot about the ongoing health crisis. While some protesters claim that they observe proper social distancing protocols, most of them are still seen standing in close proximity to each other, sans the face masks.

“Half of the restaurants visited by county inspectors are not complying with the new rules, and officials have seen examples of overcrowding at public spaces,” the Times claimed.

Earlier this month, protesters gathered once again for an anti-racism solidarity march from Hollywood to West Hollywood. The march, organized by All Black Lives Matter, gained over 30,000 people gathering and blocking the roads.

Then, as a celebration of Pride month, massive crowds also formed in Los Angeles and other major cities in the US for LGBTQ Pride rallies that also served as Black Trans Lives Matter protests.

With a ton of mass gathering like these, it’s not surprising that LA has had another surge of coronavirus infections. If people continue to ignore social distancing protocols, more people will likely be infected by the Chinese virus.