“End the Lockdown.” 

“Sacrifice the weak – Reopen Tennessee.”

“Natural immunity over man-made poison.” 

“Give me liberty or give me COVID-19.” 

“Stop the Commie Virus.”

“Fear is the real Virus.”

“There’s nothing written in the Constitution that says I have to forfeit my rights because you’re scared.”

Those are just a few examples of signs held up in protest in numerous states across America. People are pushing against each other, wearing few face masks, blocking traffic, and waving confederate flags. Some even carried guns strapped to their backs. 

The crowds include Trump superfans, conspiracy theorists, and anti-vaccine activists. The demonstrators took to the streets to say that the measures restricting movement and businesses are unnecessarily hurting citizens. They believe that the stay-at-home orders imposed by state governments are an overreaction and that keeping these restrictions for too long will cause long-term damage to local economies. 

There is some reasoning to their claims. The economy is bad right now and millions of people have lost their jobs. Some of those young essential workers have become the sole breadwinners for their family. This all will inevitably culminate into a post-coronavirus recession. 

Millions are being forced to stay home for the past couple weeks without much social interaction. Supermarket shelves have been cleared out and the CDC recommends that 

people must wear masks when they leave the house. Understandably, this is not the 2020 we thought we would be living, but this is the new reality. Believe me, as a senior in high school this is not how I wanted to end my high school career. 

But it is important to remember why we are doing this. 

COVID-19 has killed over 55,000 Americans and is nearing three million cases worldwide. People who are not directly affected by the virus may view the stay-at-home orders as unnecessary. However the restrictions are set to prevent the spread to those more susceptible. So a healthy teenager or young adult might not be worried about getting sick, for example, but they can easily spread the disease to their grandparents who are at a higher risk. 

In the states with the highest outbreak, mass graves are being dug to help the overwhelmed morgues. They have to temporarily store the deceased in refrigerated trucks. 

There are thousands of healthcare workers putting their lives on the line to battle this virus. Doctors and nurses have to gear up with numerous layers of protection to avoid personal contact. After a grueling nine-hour shift, they have to peel all those layers off. 

In Colorado, protesters gathered at the state capital to protest the lockdown. At least two nurses stood in the street and blocked the way of anti-lockdown protesters. According to NBC 9 News, a Denver nurse said the anti-lockdown protests felt like a “slap in the face to medical workers.” 

We are in the midst of a pandemic. Life will forever be changed, but hopefully for the better, with more sanitary restrictions for our safety.