Hundreds of protesters gathered at state capitols in North Carolina and Missouri to protest stay-at-home orders Tuesday, the latest in a wave of demonstrations against statewide restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. The small protests featured demonstrators — many of whom wearing gear promoting President Donald Trump and waving American and “Don’t Tread on Me” flags — who mostly opted against wearing masks and ignored social distancing guidelines health experts say are necessary to mitigate the transmission of the highly contagious virus.
The protesters decried the stay-at-home orders, which have curtailed businesses and personal freedoms, and pointed to the 22 million Americans who have filed for unemployment over the past month. Health experts and many governors across the country have cautioned against easing restrictions too soon given how easily the virus spreads as well as the limitations on both testing and treatment.
The protests are coming at the time when the global COVID 19 figures hits 2,545,769 and 176,860 deaths. In United States alone 813,589 people were reported to have been infected with COVID-19 and 45,013 have died.
