B.C.’s top doctor admits that recent protests against racism in the province have put health officials in a difficult spot.

Speaking during her COVID-19 update on Monday, Dr. Bonnie Henry said she is concerned that the protests may end up affecting the very people that protesters are trying to protect.

“We know that Indigenous communities are more differently affected by this pandemic,” she said. “We have seen that many racialized communities are also adversely affected. My recommendations to people are to obey [the rules that] we have in place”

That said, Henry noted that it is important to speak out against racism and the impact it has on the community.

“You can have profound impact by having many small groups, by wearing masks, by maintaining those physical distances, and we have seen that around the world that they can be incredibly impactful demonstrations,” Henry added.

The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, at the hands of a police officer. Henry previously urged people who attend a protest in Vancouver to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.

“I am very thankful that all of the [protests] we’ve had here in B.C. have been peaceful,” Henry said. “You know, I implore people to make sure that you are not going to bring this back to your families and your loved ones and your communities, and we need to be careful about that.”

Premier John Horgan too admitted that the protests are a challenge when asked why people are able to protests in large numbers, but have to limit crowd sizes at weddings and other gatherings to 50 people.

“If people congregate to have their voices heard in a random way, which is although we do have notice that it happening, its not as scheduled an event as a wedding would be or any other areas where public health orders are in place,” Horgan said last week.