A leader of the Reopen group in North Carolina, a protest group against lockdown restrictions, revealed on Facebook that she tested positive for COVID-19.
“On April 7, 2020, a peaceful action group called #ReopenNC was formed,” the Reopen NC Facebook page states. “Two weeks later, this grassroots movement has grown to 68,000 North Carolina Patriots. We stand for The Constitution. We’re mostly business owners and employees that are losing our income and denied our right to provide for our families. We have come together to demand action from their elected officials. Rally with us at The Capitol/Governor’s Mansion/Legislative building every Tuesday.”
In a post on the Reopen NC Facebook page, Audrey Whitlock said on Sunday that her quarantine was coming to an end. She described herself as “an asymptomatic COVID19 positive patient.”
In her post, she said she was “imprisoned” at home and being “forced” to quarantine. She said this violated her First Amendment rights. She also complained that it violated her 5th and 14th Amendment rights. Meanwhile, the US has officially seen one million coronavirus cases.
As one of the administrators of the page, Whitlock has helped to organize two protests in downtown Raleigh. The protests ask for Gov. Roy Cooper to remove his stay-at-home order.
“The reality is that modern society has not been able to eradicate contagious viruses. A typical public health quarantine would occur in a medical facility. I have been told not to participate in public or private accommodations as requested by the government. And, therefore, denied my 1st amendment right of freedom of religion,” Whitlock wrote.
She continued, “It has been insinuated by others that if I go out, I could be arrested for denying a quarantine order.”
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William Marshall, a UNC law professor, said that a Supreme Court ruling during the 1905 smallpox epidemic allows the government to take emergency action in times of crisis.
“The community has a right to defend itself against deathly disease. So that’s what’s on the side of the state. On the side of the individual, of course, it’s a major intrusion on a person’s right,” said Marshall.
However, he also said that the state needs to provide medical evidence to support those actions. They also need proof that they’re applying restrictions in a neutral manner.
“When you have a potential of infecting others, you’re not just talking about putting yourself in danger. You’re talking about putting other people in danger, and that’s when I think the state has a legitimate interest to act to prevent the spread of that disease,” said Marshall.
Rallies will continue every Tuesday in Raleigh, says ReOpen NC. They plan to do so until the governor lifts the stay-at-home order. Gov. Roy Cooper recently extended the order until May 8. After that, the state will begin to safely lift restrictions in phases to help protect citizens.
NC citizens have a lot on their minds. Some are seeking finance advice on how to handle losing their jobs. Others worry about working in unsafe conditions during the pandemic.
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