From 2 to 2.5 thousand people came to a rally to the Capitol in the state capital of Washington, Olympia, demanding to cancel the order to stay at home amid the spread of coronavirus, the Seattle Times writes.
The newspaper notes that the restrictions are valid until the fourth of May, although they can be extended. The staff revealed a little less than 12 thousand infected with the virus.
Republican lawmakers organized the rally. Member of the Republican Party Robert Sutherland called on the audience to “start a rebellion” if the authorities try to ban amateur fishing.
The rally, the newspaper writes, was in violation of the order of state governor Jay Inzley and the instructions of medical specialists. In particular, the protesters violated the ban on meetings of 50 or more people. Also, many did not observe the distance and were without medical masks. The governor spoke out against the rally.
“I support freedom of speech. But counting crowds or speech will not determine our course. It’s not about politics. It can only be about doing the best to protect the health of the people of Washington”, – Inzli said.
Police said that in general the rally was peaceful, they did not detain anyone.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the total number of deaths in the United States exceeded 40.6 thousand, more than 759 thousand people have been infected with the coronavirus for all time. Over 70 thousand have recovered.