While covered head to toe in protective equipment, New York City officers appear to be neglecting one necessary item of protective gear: masks. And protesters feel it’s a snub to their safety in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to TIME, officers have been seen not donning the protective face coverings in the midst of widespread protests despite the city still seeing new cases rise.
New York state was also the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US. Out of the country’s over 2 million infections, more than 385,000 were in the state, of which 213,000 were in New York City alone. The city also saw close to 22,000 of the state’s 30,000 deaths. Hospitalizations are also on the rise.