US: 2,500 protesters rally at Washington State Capitol against lockdown order

Around 2,500 protesters gathered at the Washington state capitol on April 19 to demonstrate against the ongoing stay-at-home orders despite coronavirus threat. The protesters not only defied the ban on gatherings of 50 people or more but many of them were reportedly present there without wearing masks.

Governor Jay Inslee slammed Republican legislators for claiming the social distancing measures as a “deep state” plot and inciting people to defy stay-at-home orders. Taking to Twitter, Inslee said that radical statements by Republican lawmakers are irresponsible and could lead to the spread of the deadly virus.

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Inslee said that he has been hearing from people who want to reopen their businesses and go back to work but they are staying home to accomplish it as soon as possible. Calling it difficult and frustrating times, the Washington governor added that he understands the urgency of the crisis but it is not the time to halt the progress.

'Great people'

However, US President Donald Trump called people protesting against their governors’ social distancing measures as “great people”. In a series of tweets, Trump had called for ‘liberation’ of the states as the protesters continued to demand the reopening of businesses and end stay-at-home orders.

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Meanwhile, Inslee has agreed with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Oregon Governor Kate Brown on a shared vision for reopening the economies and controlling the pandemic. In a joint statement, the governors said that the West Coast will flip the script on COVID-19 with states acting in close coordination.

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(Image source: AP)