As protests against strict lockdown measures to contain COVID-19 emerged in a number of states in the United States, residents who support the rallies in Michigan where the first protest took place last week told Sputnik that they were not against the social distancing guidelines and only wanted local authorities to offer more flexibility
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2020) As protests against strict lockdown measures to contain COVID-19 emerged in a number of states in the United States, residents who support the rallies in Michigan where the first protest took place last week told Sputnik that they were not against the social distancing guidelines and only wanted local authorities to offer more flexibility.
On March 23, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" executive order, which prohibited local residents from leaving home for work unless they could be designated as critical infrastructure workers and banned public gatherings and visits to local hospitals, malls or restaurants. On April 9, the order was extended until the end of the month. Although lockdowns, quarantines and states of emergency were declared and repeatedly extended in dozens of countries and regions worldwide, even in those with far less COVID-19 victims than in the US, Michigan residents viewed the governor's order as being excessive.
In Michigan only, thousands of people took to the streets last week to protest against the stay-at-home order and called for reopening the economy next month. Similar protests went underway in Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Some protesters said they were alarmed that the government may be infringing on their constitutionally protected rights, but most were concerned about the damage businesses are taking through the pandemic. Supporters of the protests connected through social media groups on Facebook. One such public group named Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine attracted over 368,000 members.
Despite the US being the current epicenter of the pandemic with more than 825,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 45,000 coronavirus-related deaths, President Donald Trump has been advocating for states to reopen their economies and made a call-to-action last Friday after he said that the states of Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia must be "liberated" from restrictions imposed by their Democratic governors. Medical experts on their part have been arguing that the economy should be reopened only after expanding testing capabilities across the country.
Michelle Chapman, a local resident from Cheboygan county in Michigan, told Sputnik that she supported the protests because she believed each county should be given a choice depending on the scale of local COVID-19 infections.
"Many people believe that restrictions should be made on a county by county basis. Our town is a lot different than Detroit. Businesses want to be able to make the choice of being open or closed and implementing precautions to protect employees and customers," she said.
According to official figures from state authorities, the Cheboygan county, where Chapman lives, has reported 14 COVID-19 cases with one fatality as of Tuesday. In comparison, the city of Detroit has reported 7,904 COVID-19 cases with 728 fatalities as of Tuesday.
Chapman stressed that many local residents like her were willing to practice social distancing and take necessary precautions in their daily lives to combat COVID-19, but the restrictions implemented by Whitmer were inconsistent and has made many people question her motives and competence.
"Yes, people are doing a lot to avoid unnecessary contact, work from home, and wear masks or wash hands when they go out. We wipe down all groceries when we bring them home. We are careful about things but we don't go as far as washing our clothes when we walk through the door ...We understand that the shutdowns and quarantines are worldwide for the most part, it's not just us. But when you take into consideration what America is supposed to stand for 'land of the free.' It's very strange to see the things we are seeing. We understand the importance of social distancing and washing hands. But the restrictions our governor implemented are inconsistent and it has made many people question her motives and competence," she said.
Tara Kane, another Michigan resident who took part in the protests, echoed Chapman's views on individual liberties in the United States.
"We have freedoms in the United States that were paid for by the blood of and sacrifice of brave patriots. Our Constitution does not become null and void because of a virus. Many Governors, including ours, have been imposing draconian rules with hefty fines, closing down almost all businesses, controlling what we buy and restricting free travel," Kane told Sputnik.
Kane stressed that local authorities need to try to strike a balance between fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and managing the devastating economic impact of lockdowns.
"People are in danger of losing their homes, their jobs and their businesses they have worked so hard for. Farmers are throwing away milk and produce while some of our people are going hungry. Our unemployment and small business loan system is so bogged down that many families have gone for weeks now without a paycheck. There must be more balance. We must have equal concern for the economy and the health of the people," she said.
Sheriffs from four counties in Michigan, including Leelanau County, Benzie County, Manistee County and Mason County, issued a joint statement last week supporting the protesters' opposition to the governor's executive order.
"As Sheriffs of Michigan's 101st House district, comprised of Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee, and Mason Counties, we write today to inform the public of our respective counties of our opposition to some of Governor Whitmer's executive orders. While we understand her desire to protect the public, we question some restrictions that she has imposed as overstepping her executive authority. She has created a vague framework of emergency laws that only confuse Michigan citizens," the statement said.
The statement added that the local sheriffs would not enforce the executive order strictly and would "deal with every case as an individual situation and apply common sense in assessing the apparent violation."
The sheriffs vowed to defend local residents' civil liberties.
"Each of us took an oath to uphold and defend the Michigan Constitution, as well as the US Constitution, and to ensure that your God given rights are not violated. We believe that we are the last line of defense in protecting your civil liberties," the statement said.
Chapman has been working from home since the governor's executive order was introduced and her husband was still being paid despite not being able to continue his work from home. But some of her family members have already been laid off as a result of the lockdown measures. Fortunately, the financial support for unemployment was sufficient for them to sustain their lives for a few months, as each person could receive about $1000 per week.
Chapman, who works in the financial services industry, pointed out that it was the small business owners who couldn't qualify for unemployment were the ones who suffered the most.
"It's the small business owners and self-employed that are suffering. It's not that they are horribly concerned with the economic fallout it is because they are not qualifying for unemployment, yet, and are going on 4-6 weeks without a paycheck. They are not sure how they are going to pay their bills and feed their families. The bills aren't going away but their income did and they aren't getting the assistance others are," she said.
She explained that the inconsistency of what kind of businesses or facilities were allowed to stay open angered many local residents.
"McDonald's, Burger King and Arby's are considered essential. But many other businesses are forced to close. Is McDonalds truly life-sustaining? Hospitals and clinics are not allowed to treat patients that aren't considered emergent. And for many cancer surgeries, joint replacements, even amputations have been put on hold because [Michigan Governor] Whitmer deemed them non-essential. But abortions are "life-sustaining" per Whitmer and therefore planned parenthood is still able to perform those," she said.
In a post in the "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine" Facebook group, Jordan Warnsholz, who identified as a medical service provider in west Michigan, shared a personal account about one of his patients who died because the man failed the receive proper medical assistance due to COVID-19 related lockdowns.
According to Warnsholz, the patient's health was deteriorating rapidly in the last month and his lab test results showed critical abnormalities. But the patient failed to receive approval for Computed Tomography (CT) scans and other advanced imaging diagnoses because they were deemed "non-essential."
Warnsholz wrote that he tried to convince the patient's family to take him to the hospital, but they decided not to go after the hospital refused family members to accompany the patient into the hospital. The patient died two days afterward.
However, Warnsholz removed the post from the group and wrote in a subsequent message that he deleted his previous posts after receiving personal threats to himself and his family members.
Warnsholz did not respond to Sputnik's request to verify the circumstances about the recently deceased patient he described in the now-removed Facebook post.
