Public Health Guidance for Organizing in the Time of COVID-19

November 2020

Public health guide offering general best practices and collective care recommendations for protesting and organizing safely during COVID-19, developed in collaboration with Right to the City Alliance to support ongoing anti-eviction and housing justice work.

Overview

There are many ways to protect yourself, your families, and communities from contracting COVID-19. Although none can guarantee zero risk of transmission, if put into practice consistently and collectively, these practices will help minimize risk for everyone, especially those most vulnerable to the impacts of the virus, and control the spread of the virus within our communities.

Ongoing evidence shows that protests in recent months have not contributed to increased rates of transmission of COVID-19. Many leading public health experts and institutions have publicly supported continued protests as necessary and just as much about protecting public health as taking COVID-19 precautions. That said, there are several best practices and precautions to take when engaging in protest. 

We also recognize the ability to practice the safety guidelines outlined is very much shaped by peoples’ contexts, which might prevent or make it much harder to practice them (i.e. essential workers in hazardous working conditions, folks in prisons/jails/detention centers). This is why we continue to fight as public health practitioners, collectively, alongside our movement partners to eliminate all barriers to health, and why we see all of our collective work for justice as public health work.

Guide Contents:
  • COVID-19 Overview and Risk Factors
  • General Guidelines for Best Protection Practices
  • Protests and Actions
  • Meetings and Member Engagement
  • Guidelines for Office Spaces
  • Contact Tracing

To learn more about this guide, please contact Public Health Organizer Sophia Simon-Ortiz, project lead at sophia@humanimpact.org.