Demonstrators in Boston Flock to State House in Protest of Governor’s Orders

Protesters on Monday flocked to the Massachusetts State House in Boston, calling on Gov. Charlie Baker (R) to reopen the state’s economy.

Photos and videos show protesters taking to the streets in Boston for the “Liberty Rally,” holding signs reading “End shutdown” and “Tyranny is not leadership,” according to WCVB:

“Americans are suffering due to the unprecedented economic shutdown imposed by the government as a response to COVID-19,” the rally’s website reads.

It continues:

The politicians, bureaucrats, and media remain gainfully employed while they callously dismiss concerns about the impact their decisions have upon our jobs, wages, and well-being.  Massachusetts is the cradle of liberty where America’s revolt against tyrannical government began.  America’s mighty economic engine is ready to deliver solutions but none of this can happen while we are ordered to stay home.  We are calling upon the citizens of our state to come out in force on May 4th to demand that the Governor and his minions let the people get back to work. It’s time to re-open Massachusetts and restore liberty.

Baker announced last week the extension of the state’s stay-at-home order, effectively prohibiting the opening of businesses deemed nonessential through May 18. He has said that the decision is based on guidance from experts.

He said:

We do believe and buy into the guidance that we’ve gotten from experts in the field that you need to see downward trends in a number of key indices associated with this virus for some period of time before you can actually reopen, and that’s the reason why we created the reopening task force, and it’s why we’ve spent so much time working with our colleagues in the health care community to develop a set of indices that we report on every single day. And as I said in my remarks, you know, after a really long time of not seeing much positive traction at all with regard to those measures, in the course of the past few days, we’ve actually started to see some positive downward trends.

Baker added that his Reopening Advisory Board is speaking with industry leaders and experts and will issue guidance by May 18 on reopening the state.

“The only sectors of the economy that can implement the appropriate health guidance will be opening in the first phase,” Baker said. “There won’t be anyone firing a starting gun on May 18.”

The news follows the governor’s decision to sign an order requiring residents to wear a face covering in public places like grocery stores, retail stores, and pharmacies. The order goes into effect on Wednesday.

The Bay State had 69,087 confirmed cases of the virus as of Monday evening, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.