FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - Several dozen Maryland residents demonstrated against Gov. Larry Hogan’s stay-at-home order Saturday by caravaning across the state.
A group known as “ReOpen Maryland” organized the protest against the governor’s mandates for social distancing and other measures designed to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 1,100 people in the state.
Hogan has also ordered the closure of all nonessential businesses.
“We should’ve had the opportunity to adhere to certain rules and regulations rather than be shut down,” James Knowles, a Queen Anne’s resident, told The Baltimore Sun during a lunch stop in Kent Island during Saturday’s protest.
Protesters made several stops as they drove from Frederick to Salisbury. Group members pledged to follow social distancing guidelines by remaining in their cars, but many did not.
Jeff Hulbert, the founder of Patriot Picket, a pro-Second Amendment group, said responsibility for defending against the virus should be on individuals, not the government.
“What Governor Hogan should be doing is setting the guidelines and the guardrails, then we put on our personal protective equipment, we go to work, we go shopping, we go out to meet with friends, but we use our personal responsibility to take care of our own lives.”
At the final stop in Salisbury, participants gathered in a parking lot, where speakers, including U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, criticized the restrictions. Harris, a Republican, is also a licensed physician specializing in anesthesiology. He said he thinks enough is known about the virus now to start ending restrictions.
“Let’s let common sense prevail now. We know what’s safe and what isn’t,” Harris said to a cheering crowd of at least several dozen people. Most people did not wear masks and did not follow social distancing guidelines that call for staying at least 6 feet apart.
Many wore yellow T-shirts that read “Open Maryland” on the front and “We are all essential. Trust each other” on the back.
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