White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx expressed concern over protests breaking out against coronavirus stay-at-home orders across the nation.
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace pressed Birx on Sunday on “big crowds of protesters that went into the Michigan state Capitol without masks, massing together in close quarters.” He asked, “I’m not asking you about the First Amendment right to protest, that of course they have, but from a public health standpoint, is that safe?”
“It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and they infect their grandmother or grandfather who has a comorbid condition, and they have a serious or very — an unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of their lives,” Birx replied. “So we need to protect each other at the same time as we’re voicing our discontent.”
Hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters swarmed the Michigan state Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, with some even moving into the building and demanding access to the House floor. Many were not wearing face masks or practicing social distancing.
Lansing has been the site of several mass protests against the quarantine orders as people voice their frustration with Whitmer’s controversial measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. President Trump recently urged Whitmer, who has defended her strict order as “working,” to “make a deal” with the protesters.
