After six weeks of lockdown measures, Americans are growing restless with the uncertainty of when they will regain some semblance of normalcy.
While the protests were widespread, thousands of protesters in California held American flags and waved signs urging Governor Gavin Newsom to reopen the state.
“OPEN CALIFORNIA!”
California is days away from announcing a meaningful loosening of its coronavirus-related restrictions Newsom said on Friday, as protesters sneaked on to closed beaches and crowded the lawn outside the state Capitol in Sacramento.
Stay-at-home protests erupt across California WATCH
The virus killed 91 people in California in the past 24 hours, bringing the state’s total deaths to more than 2,000 Newsom said. The number of cases in California topped 50,000.
In Modoc county in northern California, officials allowed businesses to reopen on Friday as long as all workers and customers adhere to guidelines that include social distancing and frequent hand-washing.
Newsom said he respected the rights of protesters and said he would rely on local law enforcement to manage crowds and decide whether to cite beachgoers.
Newsom said he expected to announce a loosening of some restrictions statewide in “days not weeks,” but only if people continued to mostly shelter at home so that the number of cases, deaths and hospitalizations from coronavirus continues to flatten and ultimately declines.
