Skip to main content
COVID-19 in Maryland Working & the Economy

Protesters Circle Downtown Annapolis to Demand State’s Reopening

By
A scene from Saturday’s protest in Annapolis. Photo special to Maryland Matters

Honking horns by drivers circling State Circle in Annapolis on Saturday drove home the point that some Marylanders disagree with continuing Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan’s stay-at-home order due to COVID-19. The protest from noon to 2 p.m. was dubbed Operation Gridlock Annapolis and organized by ReOpen Maryland with the demand that the governor reopen the state by May 1.

Police reported no problems during the protest. Hogan has not responded to the event on his social media feeds.

The protesters made their point with signs that said, “We are all essential, reopen MD,” “Open up our churches, we need Communion,” and “Freedom over fear.” Some carried copies of the U.S. Constitution, others waved Trump 2020 or American flags.

The group describes itself on its Facebook page as “Maryland citizens concerned about the impact of mass shutdowns and school closures in response to COVID-19. We are committed to peaceful advocacy for public health measures that respect Marylanders’ civil rights, economic well-being and educational access. We support immediate, responsible reopening of our state’s business, educational and religious institutions.”

Another car on Church Circle in Annapolis Saturday. Photo special to Maryland Matters.

While the group advised protesters to remain in their cars and limit themselves to driving around downtown Annapolis, some appeared on the streets. They were joined by Robin Ficker, a former state delegate and perennial Republican candidate who appears to be running for governor in 2022.
On April 16, the group created a petition for people to sign and show support for reopening the state. According to the Change.org petition, the group had about 2,000 signatures on Saturday.
The Maryland Health Department on Saturday reported 38 more coronavirus deaths in the state and 736 new cases, bringing the state’s death toll to 463 and the total number of cases to 12,308.
Maryland reported its first three coronavirus cases on March 5. As of Saturday morning, 53,062 people have tested negative for the disease, 2,757 have been hospitalized, and 771 have been released from isolation.
According to projection data updated Friday released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Maryland is a day away from reaching its peak in daily COVID-19 deaths. The IHME model projected Sunday as the peak for the state, and expects 46 coronavirus deaths on Monday. The organization uses overall trends to identify the peak date, rather than the single highest reported number.

Some people have spoken out against the initiative on the group’s Facebook page.

“Can’t have a economy, if your work force is dead…” wrote one commenter.

A Hogan supporter said, “OUR Governor is doing a great job. This Annapolis stunt is just a stunt.”

“Besides being a loss of jobs and vital tax revenue, a shuttered business is a shattered dream. We can preserve those dreams and protect our citizens,” said ReOpen Maryland spokesperson Caryn Abbott in a statement.

In a news conference Friday, Hogan said he was beginning to craft plans for the state’s recovery and reopening. But the state’s coronavirus case numbers continue to increase. He also ordered people to wear masks while shopping and using public transportation.

Other demonstrations calling for states to reopen were slated to take place over the weekend in Texas, Wisconsin, Idaho and Pennsylvania — after rallies earlier in the week in Michigan, Ohio and Virginia.

To see the story by Deb Belt as it originally appeared on the website of our news partner, Patch.com, click here. Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters contributed to this report.

Tags:

Patch

All posts by Patch

Did you get the Memo?

Visit the SUBSCRIBE page to sign up for our morning newsletter.

Related Articles

Opinion: The promise of candidate nominations through ranked choice primary voting

Ranked choice voting offers a viable alternative to the emergence of third parties, like the ‘No Labels’ party proposed by former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and, implicitly, by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.

State restarts controversial bidding process for BWI Airport concessions contract

The previous procurement for the lucrative deal, valued at millions of dollars, was halted soon after Gov. Wes Moore (D) took office, following complaints by some companies interested in the contract.

The Blue Line and the Burgundy and Gold

As the NFL season opens, what’s the connection between the Commanders’ desire for a new stadium and an ambitious redevelopment project underway in Prince George’s County?

REPUBLISHING TERMS

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

If you have any questions, please email editor Danielle Gaines at [email protected].

To republish, copy the following text and paste it into your HTML editor.

License

Creative Commons License AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
Protesters Circle Downtown Annapolis to Demand State’s Reopening