Maryland Residents Conduct Caravan Protest Against Governor's Coronavirus Restrictions

Maryland residents gridlocked the streets of Annapolis Saturday in a caravan-style protest against the state's lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lilly Price, a reporter for the Capital Gazette, an Annapolis newspaper, tweeted out a video of the protest: "The Reopen Maryland protest is gathering by car rather than on foot. Lots of horns and heckling."

Price also tweeted this footage: "The gridlock route is following circle traffic patterns in a slow, but orderly fashion."

Price tweeted a picture of one woman who held a sign that read, "It's 2020, not Orwell's 1984." She wrote in her tweet: "Natalie Brown is a small-business owner who runs a travel agency. She said she understands people are dying but the shutdown will "'kill more people in the long run if the economy doesn't open soon.'"

The protest, which took place between 12 and 2 p.m. ET Saturday, was organized by Reopen Maryland, a Facebook group "of Maryland citizens concerned about the impact of mass shutdowns and school closures in response to COVID-19," according to their page. It also stated that they are a peaceful advocacy group who wants the "immediate, responsible reopening of [Maryland's] business, educational, and religious institutions."

The group put out a petition on Change.org Thursday asking Governor Larry Hogan reopen the state "immediately."

"We acknowledge the tragedy caused by COVID-19 and appreciate that it is a significant public health concern. However, the economic, social and educational disruption caused by shutdowns is guaranteed to cause significant, even greater, harm, leading to increased deaths, economic disruption, loss of livelihood, and educational challenges for Marylanders and their families, and far less disruptive means of managing the disease can be employed," the petition states.

"Marylanders are struggling daily to pay bills, maintain family unity, ensure their children's well-being, and remain connected. Research has demonstrated that non-economically disruptive social distancing measures can be sufficient to control the spread of COVID-19, and we call upon Governor Hogan to hear his constituents and immediately begin the responsible reopening of our state."

Republican state delegates sent a letter to Hogan Friday asking him to "consider a regional approach to relaxing the restrictions," the Capital Gazette reported, such as in rural areas of the state.

Hogan said during his daily coronavirus briefing Friday that the measures taken by the state, which include closing down businesses deemed non-essential, are necessary.

"I completely understand why people are anxious to get things going. I want to get our economy back and get things opened up as quickly as possible just as much as anybody does, but we're also going to have to do that in a safe manner," Hogan said.

Maryland has 12,308 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to date and 463 deaths, according to the Maryland COVID-19 Data Dashboard.