Crowd Gathers Outside Ohio Statehouse to Protest Coronavirus Lockdown

A large number of protesters gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse again on Monday to make their voices heard during the press conference held by Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.

The protest came amid the stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, to which many Ohio residents have voiced opposition.

Throughout the gathering, chants of “facts not fear” and “O-H-I-O Acton’s got to go” could be heard from within the meeting room and through the microphones via televisions.

Of those in attendance for the protest, only a select few were wearing protective face gear, as others held signs that read, “Open Ohio: We want our rights back” and “My inherent rights don’t end where your fear begins.”

Scott Shoemaker, an anti-vaccine advocate, attended the protest and interviewed a few of those in attendance, including a woman named Brittany who drove two hours from Findlay, Ohio, with her 19-month-old baby to stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse in solidarity with other protesters and to defend her constitutional rights.

Shoemaker also spoke with a Cleveland woman named Jessica, who was recently let go from her outpatient job because there were not enough people coming in. Jessica stated she attended the protest for her family to show “we’re not afraid of any viruses.”

This is not the first time protesters have gathered outside of the Ohio Statehouse to voice opposition to the lockdown. Last week, on Thursday, a similar crowd gathered outside to spread the same message.

As of Monday, the Ohio Department of Health reported 6,975 total cases of COVID-19 under the new method, which includes the Centers for Disease Control’s expanded case definition of probable infections. More than 2,000 people have been hospitalized, 613 have been admitted to the ICU, and 274 have died.