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Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) hit anti-lockdown protesters with the hard truth about the coronavirus after 2,500 to 3,000 people gathered in Huntington Beach, California, on Friday to demand an end to the statewide stay-at-home order.
Lieu warned on Twitter that the demonstrators had “undoubtedly spread the virus even more” due to the “highly contagious” nature of COVID-19, the disease caused by the contagion that’s killed upwards of 64,000 people in the U.S. alone.
“There were over 30,000 new US cases reported yesterday & over 34,000 today,” added Lieu, noting how around 15% of people who contract the virus end up requiring hospital treatment.
The majority of protesters criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) statewide mandate that is aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
Others railed against Newsom’s decision this week to close state and local beaches in Orange County, following gatherings on some beaches last weekend, reported The Orange Country Register.
Some carried pro-President Donald Trump signs. Many did not wear face masks and, as the photographs below show, did not adhere to social distancing measures.
No one was arrested or cited at Friday’s protest, Huntington Beach police Chief Robert Handy told the newspaper.
Newsom on Friday claimed California is “days, not weeks” away from easing restrictions. “If we can hold the line and continue to do good work and just avoid the temptation to get back and congregate with people in ways where we can see an increase in the spread, we’ll get there much sooner than many people perhaps think,” he said.
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