While there is some light at the end of the tunnel in states where strict stay-at-home measures have been implemented, there has been an apparent rise in coronavirus cases in places where Donald Trump supporters took to the streets to protest.
According to MSNBC’s Joy Reid, cases appear to be back on the rise again in Wisconsin, where Republicans forced an in-person election, and in Florida, where the GOP governor reopened some beaches.
Perhaps most startling, though, is what is happening in Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has taken tough measures to curb the spread of the virus.
As Reid pointed out on Saturday, cases in the state have been on the rise for four straight days, not along after protesters took to the streets to protest stay-at-home orders with Confederate flags and Trump signs.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
“In Michigan, there’s been a rise in confirmed cases for the past four days as well, just a short time after protesters gathered in public to demand an end to that state’s lockdown orders,” the MSNBC host said.
She added, “These statistics make it all the more confusing that Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia would proceed with his plan to open his state yesterday.”
Video:
Joy Reid points out that places where Republicans are either forcing or encouraging people to congregate are seeing what appears to be a spike in coronavirus cases. #ctl #p2 #amjoy pic.twitter.com/oDL5AHTQTV
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 25, 2020
Reid said:
Around this country, governors are grappling with decisions about when to reopen businesses to revive the struggling economy. Well, governors, if you’re listening here are a few startling facts. In Wisconsin, the number of cases spiked on Thursday just over two weeks after the Republican controlled legislature refused to delay the primary election that included a hotly contested state Supreme Court seat, forcing hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites to vote in person. In Florida, where Gov. DeSantis reopened a few beaches, the number of new cases also rose Thursday after a five-day period of decline. And in Michigan, there’s been a rise in confirmed cases for the past four days as well, just a short time after protesters gathered in public to demand an end to that state’s lockdown orders. These statistics make it all the more confusing. Governor Bryan Kemp of Georgia would proceed with his plan to reopen his state yesterday.
Trump supporters are making it more likely that stay-at-home orders last longer
The protests that Donald Trump has encouraged his supporters to participate in will only make it more likely that the stay-at-home orders will last longer.
After all, as Joy Reid mentioned on Saturday, these types of events – where Republicans are either forcing or encouraging people to congregate – are driving what appears to be a spike in coronavirus cases.
The longer that infections are spiking as opposed to flattening, the more likely it is that governors in certain states will have to extend at least some type of restrictive measures.
In short, these protests could be the most counterproductive political demonstrations in history.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
