'Freedom Is Essential': Protesters March Against COVID-19 Lockdown in Raleigh
Protesters marched through Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday, April 21, to demand that the governor ease the state’s COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
Local reporters on the scene said as many as 500 people gathered to march in the streets and rally at the state capitol building.
The protesters marched past the Governor’s Mansion (North Carolina Executive Mansion) with American flags and signs with slogans such as “freedom is essential,” and “Flatten the fear! Reopen NC.”
On March 27, North Carolina Gov Roy Cooper issued stay-at-home orders for the state, effective through April 29. The order prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people and “directs people to stay at home except to visit essential businesses, to exercise outdoors or to help a family member.”
Protests against lockdowns and social distancing measures have taken place across the United States in April, including in California, Texas, Wisconsin, Nevada, Maryland, Idaho, Michigan, and Minnesota. Credit: Jay Chaudhuri, NC state senator via Storyful
