Coronavirus: Tensions explode in the US over lockdown restrictions

Tensions have exploded across the US this week, with the country bitterly divided over the COVID-19 response as protests broke out in multiple states.

Tensions have exploded across the US this week, with chaos across multiple states as angry protesters demanded lockdown measures be eased.

Similar to restrictions currently in place in Australia, businesses have been shut down across the US and social distancing measures are in force in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

There are now more than 927,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US and the death toll has passed 50,000, according to data from John Hopkins University.

But despite the growing death toll, angry rallies have been held across several states, with protesters demanding businesses reopen as citizens feel the economic toll of the shutdowns.

Roughly 26 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, with millions of employers forced to close their doors in order to comply with government imposed restrictions.

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Hundreds of New Hampshire residents rally at the State House, calling on the government to re-open the state for business as the coronavirus shutdown continues. Picture: Joseph Prezioso/AFP

Armed veterans demonstrate in front of the state capital building in Topeka, Kansas demanding that businesses be allowed to open up. Picture: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP

Over the past week there have been scattered protests in several US states against stay-at-home orders, from New Hampshire, Maryland and Pennsylvania to Texas and California.

The demonstrators, some of them armed, were mostly mask-free and many ignored social distancing measures.

On Thursday protesters were snapped outside the state capital building in Topeka, Kansas carrying rifles and holding the American flag as they demanded businesses reopen.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Denver this week, with protesters seen screaming at healthcare workers who stood on the street to block the demonstration.

The biggest protest to date was in the Michigan state capital Lansing on April 15, where about 3000 protesters gathered.

In Columbus, Ohio furious protesters were seen with their faces pressed up against the glass of the Statehouse as the pounded on the doors, with the US media saying they “resembled a zombie horde”.

About 100 protesters assembled outside the building during Gov. Mike DeWine's weekday update on the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Picture: Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP

The protests was have been part of a growing national movement against stay-at-home orders. picture: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP

Protesters say government regulations limit individual freedoms and harm the economy.

Trucks painted with slogans including “work not welfare” and “shelter in place isn’t freedom!” paraded throughout Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as Republican representatives from Congress rallied protesters marching at the steps of the capital building.

“Our new normal does not mean we will sacrifice our freedoms for the safety of our country,” said state politician Aaron Bernstine, in a speech punctuated by “USA” chants.

“Normal is not taking government handouts allowing us to pay our bills.”

The US government recently began issuing one-time payments as high as $1200 to many residents with additional supplements for children.

Last week Donald Trump appeared to show support for protesters, tweeting: “LIBERATE MINNESOTA”, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” and then “LIBERATE VIRGINIA”.

As he faces re-election later this year, the president has been anxious to reboot the nation’s economy and send Americans back to work.

But Trump’s calls for liberation have also sparked confusion, even among his top supporters.

When Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced his aggressive plan to reopen businesses it is understood Trump and Vice President Mike Pence gave the plan their approval.

US President Donald Trump appeared to throw his support behind protesters in a series of tweets last week. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

The green light from Pence and Trump came in separate private conversations with the Republican governor before Kemp announced his plan to ease coronavirus restrictions and after it was unveiled on Monday, an unnamed official told the New York Times.

But despite this apparent approval, shortly after the plan was announced Trump publicly criticised the Georgia governor for the decision.

“I told the governor of Georgia Brian Kemp that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities,” Trump said on Wednesday, just a day after telling reporters that he trusted Kemp’s judgment.

“He knows what’s he’s doing.”

On Thursday, his criticism became even more harsh, with the president saying: “I wasn’t happy with Brian Kemp, I wasn’t at all happy”.

Trump has been urging states to roll back restrictions for the past two weeks, despite many still having a growing number of daily coronavirus cases.

Kemp was one of the first Republican governors to act on Trump’s calls to reopen the country but the sudden criticism from the President has just sparked even more confusion among citizens.

Despite the recent protests against stay-at-home orders, a CBS News poll found more than 60 per cent of Americans were more worried about lifting the restrictions too soon and intensifying the outbreak than about the consequences to the economy of maintaining them for too long.

Meanwhile, only 13 per cent said they would return to public places if restrictions were lifted right now.

This is evident in what is playing out in Georgia, with the conflicting messages from state and federal government leaving many businesses owners confused about what to do.

Some are embracing the governors’ order and making plans to reopen, while others say it’s not worth the potential risk to employees and customers.

The conflicting messages have only proven to deepen the divide the US is facing right now.

With AFP