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Debate over protests during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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These pages were updated from March 2020 through June 2020 and do not contain the latest commentary available. To submit arguments for inclusion on this page, email editor@ballotpedia.org. To learn how Ballotpedia decides which arguments to feature, click here.



Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.

These arguments come from a variety of sources, including public officials, journalists, think tanks, economists, scientists, and other stakeholders. We encourage you to share the debates happening in your local community to editor@ballotpedia.org.


This article covers the national debate over protests in response to restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, typically issued as part of statewide lockdown or stay-at-home orders. You will find the following:


Debate over protests

  • Abdul El-Sayed, M.D., D.Phil., an epidemiologist and former health director for the City of Detroit (Newsweek): 

    "COVID-19 is not gone. And there is likely to be a resurgence—epidemiologists were predicting it before we stood up for black lives. So if it happens, don't blame the people who protested. Blame those who failed to stand up for public health, whether to contain this pandemic in the first place or to root out systematic injustice in our society." - "Don't Shame Protesters Over Coronavirus. Racism Is a Public Health Crisis Too," June 9, 2020.

  • U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) (ABC 57): 

    "Everyone has a right to protest and make their views known, but because a couple of thousand protesters gather on a lawn doesn't mean that we should bend to their will. They're not the scientific experts, nor am I." - "Stay-at-home order protested outside Governor’s home," April 21, 2020.

  • President Donald Trump (R) (New York Post): On April 19, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) was asked about the protests and his tweets that said, "Liberate Minnesota!", "Liberate Michigan!", and "Liberate Virginia, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"

    "I've seen the people. I've seen interviews of the people. These are great people. Look they want to get—they call cabin fever. You've heard the term? They've got cabin fever. They want to get back. They want their life back. Their life was taken away from them." - "Trump says ‘governors have gone too far’ with coronavirus restrictions," April 19, 2020.

  • Mark Zuckerberg, CEO/Chairman of Facebook (The Hill): Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO/Chairman of Facebook, responded to a question from ABC's George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopoulos asked, "How do you deal with the fact that Facebook is now being used to organize a lot of these protests to defy social distancing guidelines in states? If somebody trying to organize something like that, does that qualify as harmful misinformation?"

    "We do classify that as harmful misinformation and we take that down. At the same time, it's important that people can debate policies, so there's a line on this, you know, more than normal political discourse. I think a lot of the stuff that people are saying that is false around a health emergency like this can be classified as harmful misinformation." - "Zuckerberg: Some stay-at-home protests organized on Facebook could qualify as 'harmful misinformation'," April 20, 2020.

  • Donald Trump, Jr. (Twitter): Donald Trump, Jr. responded to a report that Facebook was removing protest events related to state coronavirus measures from the platform.

    "Why is Facebook colluding with state governments to quash peoples free speech? Regardless of what you think about the lockdowns or the protests against them, this is a chilling [and] disturbing government directed shutdown of peoples 1st Amendment rights. Very dangerous!" - "Donald Trump Jr.," April 20, 2020.

  • Caroline Buckee, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Scientific American): "I think there's a stark difference between [the Black Lives Matter] protests, where there's an explicit messaging around social distancing and masks, and the anti-lockdown protests, which were explicitly against the public health measures—they encouraged people not to wear masks and not to social distance. That intentional messaging does matter." - "Why It Would Be Hard to Link a Coronavirus Spike to Recent Protests," June 22, 2020.

  • National Bureau of Economic Research (New York Magazine): "We find no evidence that urban protests reignited COVID-19 case growth during the more than two and a half weeks following protest onset. We conclude that predictions of broad negative public health consequences of Black Lives Matter protests were far too narrowly conceived." - "Study Finds ‘No Evidence’ That Protests Led to Coronavirus Spikes," June 22, 2020.

  • U.S. Representative Justin Amash (L) (The Washington Post): "I don't disagree with the right to protest. Everyone has the right to protest. And no governor can shut down protests. ... I think that just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean you should do it in a particular way. So to the extent that anyone is out and about ignoring social distancing guidelines and taking big risks, I think that's a mistake." - "The Trailer: Justin Amash on why he's not a spoiler, protests and who he voted for in 2016," May 3, 2020.

  • Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) (USA Today): "These self-absorbed and selfish Americans complain they are irritated, anxious, bored, upset — unhappy that their lives have been affected by this temporary restraint on their freedoms. Some have even gotten into confrontations with nurses and other front-line health care workers who believe now is not the time to resume normality. … Of course, our First Amendment gives them the right to protest. Our veterans helped ensure it. But let’s make one thing clear: It is impossible to characterize the actions of those who are protesting orders to stay at home as courageous or heroic. The point is this. Your country has asked you to forgo your normal personal and professional routine for a couple of months in the war against COVID-19. No question, it is difficult and sometimes feels unbearable as economic and emotional stress mount each day. But the pandemic in less than three months has taken the lives of more Americans than the total number of U.S. soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. The entire country is under siege, but you are not in the trenches of France, not gaining ground inch by inch in the Pacific, not slogging through the paddies and jungles in Vietnam, and not taking on global terrorists in desert warfare. And you are NOT prisoners of war. You are at home." - "Tom Ridge: Selfish protests against stay-at-home orders dishonor America's veterans," April 29, 2020.

  • Theda Skocpol, professor of government and sociology at Harvard University (BBC): "You don't see the US Chamber of Commerce in the vanguard here. These are ideological forces at play, with some professionally run conservative advocacy groups behind the protests. Their cause is to make sure Americans don't become too trusting of government." - "Coronavirus: The US resistance to a continued lockdown," April 27, 2020.

  • The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board (The Dallas Morning News): "What was troubling, however, in too many of the protests was the thread of thinking that individual liberty is supreme and that it does not itself come with responsibilities to the larger society. What is being asked of us now is more than has been asked in a generation or more — to place the greater good above ourselves. This is a great deal to ask, but it is not unreasonable to ask given the possibility, and even the likelihood, that if we fail to do that, we will only prolong the sacrifice by giving the disease another chance to spread widely, putting us right back where we started. Individual freedom is sacred. And by balancing it in society with our duties to one another we also enhance our ability to live freely. Our duty now is to do what we can as a community to slow the spread of this disease so that we can again enjoy, as quickly as possible, the freedoms we are sacrificing. That is painful. But it is necessary. And it is our obligation to one another." - "Coronavirus protesters have forgotten something important about their rights," April 23, 2020.

  • Emily Seidel, chief executive officer at Americans for Prosperity (Politico): "The question is — what is the best way to get people back to work? We don’t see protests as the best way to do that. Instead, we are working directly with policymakers to bring business leaders and public health officials together to help develop standards to safely reopen the economy without jeopardizing public health. The choice between full shutdown and immediately opening everything is a false choice." - "The Koch network, avatar of the tea party, rejects shutdown protests," April 22, 2020.

  • Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D) (Twitter): "Don’t believe the bullshit that you are seeing on some of our news channels and some of our newspapers that there are these folks who are protesting out of good faith. That may be true for a very small number of them, but this stuff has been bought and paid for by people like the DeVos family in Michigan and Alex Jones in Austin, Texas, and others who have a vested interest in distracting from the real questions—Where are the tests? Where is the personal protective equipment? Where are the ventilators that we need?" - "Beto Media," April 21, 2020.

  • Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks (The Hill): "There is a lot of Tea Party DNA in these protests. That Tea Party DNA is also what Trump rode to the White House." - "Trump support for protests threatens to undermine social distancing rules," April 20, 2020.

  • Kellyanne Conway (The Washington Times): "And so for them this is not fomenting domestic rebellion. I look at those people and I see the forgotten men and forgotten women. Economically, they’re saying, look, I’m in a low infection area, I’m asymptomatic, not exposed, I want to get back to work. … How are they going to meet these bills in May? Their rent, their mortgage, the food for their children, basic necessities in their households and they’re saying I want to get back to work." - "'Unlawful mandates': Conservatives rebel against COVID restrictions, rally for reopening," April 20, 2020.

  • Maurice Obstfeld, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (KVAL): "They're right to be scared. This is the worst contractions we've seen since the Great Depression. I think by protesting the closure orders, they're confusing the symptom with the cause of the problem — which is a life-threatening pandemic." - "Protests to reopen the economy flare as some businesses face permanent closure," April 20, 2020.

  • Stephen Moore, an economic adviser to President Trump (The Washington Post): "So this is a great time, gentlemen and ladies, for civil disobedience. We need to be the Rosa Parks here, and protest against these government injustices." - "Rallies against stay-at-home orders grow as Trump sides with protesters," April 17, 2020.

  • Additional reading

  • "As police protests grow, so do coronavirus risks" - San Diego Union-Tribune, June 5, 2020

  • "We are protesting during a pandemic: local authorities should act like it" - The Hill, June 10, 2020

  • "How Much Should You Be Worried About a COVID-19 Spike From the Protests?" - Slate, June 5, 2020

  • "Should coronavirus lock down protesters waive their medical care? Some medical ethicists think so." - Inquirer, May 22, 2020

  • "Commentary: Why public protest during the coronavirus pandemic is as important as ever" - The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 11, 2020

  • "At protests, mostly white crowds show how pandemic has widened racial and political divisions" - Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2020

  • "The Anti-Quarantine Protests Aren't About Covid-19" - Wired, April 27, 2020

  • "Coronavirus protesters just want to work" - Washington Examiner, April 21, 2020

  • "Tyrants are using the coronavirus to bully the American people. It's time to put a stop to it." - The Blaze, April 16, 2020


State-specific debates

Many debates over responses to the coronavirus pandemic are unique to individual states and localities. Select a state below to read about debates in that state.

Background

See also: States with lockdown and stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section summarizes state lockdown or stay-at-home orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It does not show or cover whether in-person religious services were restricted as part of each state's lockdown order.

Lockdown orders by state

Forty-three states issued statewide shelter-in-place, stay-at-home, closure, or shutdown orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The map below highlights states that issued a stay-at-home order.

We classified New Mexico's stay-at-home order as active through November 30 because of the following language in the state's health orders since March: “all New Mexicans should be staying in their homes for all but the most essential activities and services.”[2] In practice, New Mexicans were permitted to leave their homes for a broad range of activities, even if it was not recommended.

With the November and December wave of new, stricter coronavirus orders, we decided to end our stay-at-home coverage to work on building comprehensive coverage of practical restrictions.

State details

The table below includes the states that issued a statewide order, the dates of the order, and a link to the executive order.

Statewide lockdown orders, 2020
State Order dates Link to order Official name of order
Alabama April 4- April 30 Link Suspend certain public gatherings
Alaska March 28 - April 24[3] Link Shelter-in-place
Arizona March 31 - May 15[4] Link Stay home, stay healthy, stay connected
Arkansas None N/A N/A
California March 19 - August 28 Link Shelter-in-place
Colorado March 26 - April 26[5] Link Stay-at-home
Connecticut March 23 - May 20[6] Link Stay Safe, Stay Home
Delaware March 24 - May 31 Link Stay-at-Home
Florida April 2 - May 4 Link Stay-at-home
Georgia April 3 - April 30[7] Link Shelter-in-place
Hawaii March 25 - May 31[8] Link Stay-at-home
Idaho March 25 - April 30[9] Link Stay home
Illinois March 21 - May 29[10] Link Stay-at-Home
Indiana March 24 - May 1[11][12] Link Stay-at-home
Iowa None N/A N/A
Kansas March 30 - May 3[13] Link Stay home
Kentucky March 26 - June 29 Link Stay healthy at home
Louisiana March 23 - May 15[14] Link Stay-at-Home
Maine April 2 - May 31[15] Link Stay-at-home
Maryland March 30 - May 15 Link Stay-at-home
Massachusetts March 24 - May 18[16][17][18] Link Stay-at-home advisory[19]
Michigan March 24 - June 1[20][21][22][23] Link Stay Home, Stay Safe
Minnesota March 27 - May 17[24][25][26] Link Stay-at-home
Mississippi April 3 - April 27[27] Link Shelter-in-place
Missouri April 6 - May 3[28] Link Stay Home Missouri
Montana March 28 - April 26[29][30] Link Stay-at-home
Nebraska None N/A N/A
Nevada April 1 - May 15 Link Stay-at-home
New Hampshire March 27 - June 15[31] Link Stay-at-home 2.0
New Jersey March 21 - June 9 [32] Link Stay-at-home
New Mexico March 24 - November 30[33][34][35][36] [37][38][39][40][41][42] Link Stay-at-home
New York March 20 - June 27[43] Link New York State on PAUSE
North Carolina March 30 - May 22[44][45] Link Stay-at-home
North Dakota None N/A N/A
Ohio March 23 - May 19[46][47][48] Link Stay-at-home
Oklahoma April 1 - May 6[49][50] Link Safer at home
Oregon March 23 - June 19[51] Link Stay-at-home
Pennsylvania April 1 - June 4[52][53] Link Stay-at-home
Rhode Island March 28 - May 8[54] Link Stay-at-home
South Carolina April 7 - May 4[55] Link Home or work
South Dakota None N/A N/A
Tennessee March 31 - April 30[56] Link Safer at home
Texas April 2 - April 30 Link Statewide essential services and activities protocols
Utah None N/A N/A
Vermont March 24 - May 15[57] Link Stay-at-home
Virginia March 30 - May 29 Link Stay-at-home
Washington March 24 - May 31[58][59] Link Stay-at-home
West Virginia March 24 - May 4 Link Stay-at-home
Wisconsin March 25 - May 13[60][61] Link Safer at Home
Wyoming None N/A N/A


General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. Six other states did not issue a stay-at-home order but still closed some businesses. To learn more about those states, click here.
  2. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ACTING SECRETARY BILLY J. JIMENEZ," November 16, 2020
  3. Anchorage Daily News, "Gov. Dunleavy says Alaska will ease some coronavirus restrictions starting later this week," April 21, 2020
  4. ABC 15 Arizona, "Arizona stay-at-home order extended to May 15 'with modifications,' governor says," April 29, 2020
  5. CPR News, "Gov. Polis Extends Colorado Stay At Home Order Through April 26, Encourages Coloradans To Cheer Healthcare Workers", April 6, 2020
  6. Hartford Courant, "Gov. Ned Lamont extends mandatory shutdown in Connecticut to May 20 as coronavirus cases top 10,000; orders rent relief for April, May," April 10, 2020
  7. U.S. News and World Report, "Kemp Extends Georgia Stay-At-Home Order as Cases Pass 10,000," April 8, 2020
  8. Governor of Hawaii, "GOVERNOR’S OFFICE – NEWS RELEASE: GOV. IGE EXTENDS STAY-AT-HOME ORDER ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH MAY 31," April 25, 2020
  9. Idaho News, "Governor Little extends Idaho's stay at home orders until April 30," April 15, 2020
  10. State of Illinois Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response, "Stay At Home FAQ," accessed May 29, 2020
  11. WSBT, "Indiana stay-at-home order extended 2 more weeks, until April 20," April 3, 2020
  12. NBC Chicago, "Indiana to Extend Stay-at-Home Order Through May 1," April 17, 2020
  13. KMBC, "Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly extends statewide stay-at-home order," April 15, 2020
  14. Office of the Governor, "‘Gov. Edwards Will Extend Stay at Home Order Until May 15 to Continue Flattening the Curve and Slowing the Spread of COVID-19," April 27, 2020
  15. 13 WGME, "Gov. Mills extends stay-at-home, lays out plan to reopen Maine's economy," April 29, 2020
  16. The Hill, "Massachusetts governor extends stay-at-home advisory through May 4," March 31, 2020
  17. The Boston Globe, "Governor Baker extends business closure order, stay-at-home advisory until May 18," April 28, 2020
  18. Office of the Governor of Massachusetts, "Reopening Massachusetts: Baker-Polito Administration Initiates Transition to First Phase of Four-Phase Approach," May 18, 2020
  19. Gov. Charlie Baker's (D) stay-at-home advisory limited outside gatherings to a maximum of 10 people, except in spaces like parks or parking lots
  20. Fox 17, "Gov. Whitmer extends stay-at-home order," April 9, 2020
  21. The Hill, "Whitmer extends Michigan's stay-at-home order until May 15," April 24, 2020
  22. Office of the Governor of Michigan, "Executive Order No. 2020-100," May 22, 2020
  23. The Hill, "Michigan Gov. Whitmer lifts stay-at-home order," June 1, 2020
  24. MinnPost, "What you need to know about Minnesota’s revised stay-at-home order," April 8, 2020
  25. Star Tribune, "Minnesotans to get two more weeks of stay-at-home, but with new flexibility," April 30, 2020
  26. Office of the Governor of Minnesota, "Emergency Executive Order 20-56," May 13, 2020
  27. WKRG, "UPDATE: Gov. Reeves extends stay-at-home order for one more week," April 17, 2020
  28. KY3, "Gov. Parson extends Missouri's stay-at-home order to May 3," April 16, 2020
  29. Associated Press, "Montana governor extends stay-at-home order, school closures," April 7, 2020
  30. KECI, "Bullock's stay-at-home order lifted Monday with restrictions," April 22, 2020
  31. NBC 10 Boston, "Gov. Sununu Announces Extension of NH’s Stay-at-Home Order to June 15," May 29, 2020
  32. nj.com, "N.J. coronavirus stay-at-home order lifted by Murphy as state reopening moves forward," June 9, 2020
  33. KRQE, "Governor extends emergency ‘stay-at-home’ order through April 30," April 6, 2020
  34. The Hill, "New Mexico governor extends stay-at-home order: 'We're not ready to ease up,'" April 23, 2020
  35. UPI, "New Mexico extends stay-at-home order as several states move to reopen," May 14, 2020
  36. New Mexico Department of Health, "State extends emergency public health order," July 1, 2020
  37. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CABINET SECRETARY KATHYLEEN M. KUNKEL," accessed July 16, 2020
  38. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CABINET SECRETARY KATHYLEEN M. KUNKEL," July 30, 2020
  39. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CABINET SECRETARY KATHYLEEN M. KUNKEL," July 30, 2020
  40. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CABINET SECRETARY KATHYLEEN M. KUNKEL," September 18, 2020
  41. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CABINET SECRETARY KATHYLEEN M. KUNKEL," October 16, 2020
  42. Office of the Governor, "PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ACTING SECRETARY BILLY J. JIMENEZ," November 16, 2020
  43. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, "No. 202.34: Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws Relating to the Disaster Emergency," accessed May 29, 2020
  44. ABC 11, "North Carolina Stay-at-Home order extended until May 8, Gov. Roy Cooper announces," April 23, 2020
  45. wsoctv.com, "Here’s what NC’s modified stay-at-home order, transition to Phase 1 of reopening means," May 5, 2020
  46. FOX19, "Expanded stay-at-home order takes effect Monday," April 6, 2020
  47. NBC4I, "‘Stay safe Ohio’ order extends stay at home until May 29, with exceptions," April 30, 2020
  48. Mike DeWine Governor of Ohio,"COVID-19 Update: Ohioans Protecting Ohioans Urgent Health Advisory," May 19, 2020
  49. News on 6, "Oklahoma's Safer-At-Home Order Extended To May 6, Gov. Stitt Says," April 15, 2020
  50. The statewide Safer at home order directed people over the age of 65 and those with underlying medical conditions to stay at home.
  51. Oregon Governor's Office, "Governor Kate Brown Announces Plans for Face Covering Requirement, Outlines Next Steps in County Reopening Process," June 19, 2020
  52. Governor Tom Wolf, "Gov. Wolf Announces 13 Counties will Move to Yellow Phase of Reopening on May 15," May 8, 2020
  53. Lehigh Valley Live, "Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf extends stay-at-home order to May 8 as he starts to reopen economy," April 20, 2020
  54. 7 News Boston, "RI stay-at-home orders extended to May 8; Providence parks closed," April 7, 2020
  55. ABC Columbia, "Ready to reopen: SC Governor’s ‘Stay Home’ order to be lifted Monday," May 3, 2020
  56. 10 News, "Gov. Lee extends Stay at Home order through April 30, announces phased plan to reopen Tennessee economy in May," April 13, 2020
  57. WCAX, "Scott extends stay-at-home order to May 15," April 10, 2020
  58. U.S. News and World Report, "Washington State Stay-At-Home Order Extended Through May 4," accessed April 22, 2020
  59. The Tacoma News Tribune, "Governor extends Washington state stay-at-home order through May 31," May 1, 2020
  60. TMJ4, "Gov. Tony Evers extends Wisconsin's 'Safer at Home' order until May 26," April 16, 2020
  61. The Washington Post, "Wisconsin Supreme Court blocks Evers’ stay-home extension," May 13, 2020