Leader of 'Reopen North Carolina' protest group tests positive for coronavirus, forced to stay indoors
A leader of a movement that has been campaigning to lift restrictions enforced in North Carolina amid the coronavirus pandemic has herself tested positive for Covid-19 and has been forced to stay at home.
Audrey Whitlock has been at the forefront of ReOpenNC, a group that has been holding rallies in the state protesting Governor Roy Cooper's stay-at-home orders, as well as the other restrictions brought in to slow the outbreak.
They have held two protests so far, with around 1,000 members gathering for a rally held in downtown Raleigh on April 21 where they argued that the restrictions violated their constitutional rights.
On the group's Facebook page, which has close to 70,000 members, a description reads, "We stand for The Constitution. We are 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 the elected officials."
Whitlock, an administrator of that Facebook page, recently revealed that she had tested positive for the coronavirus and that she would be back protesting because her two-week quarantine was ending.
One of her fellow organizers, Ashley Smith, confirmed Whitlock had been administered a Covid-19 test at the beginning of April and that she had not been to any of the protests they had held so far.
While such a move was necessary to ensure she would not spread the virus to others, Whitlock did not quite see it that way in a rant on social media.
"I have been forced to quarantine in my home for 2 weeks," she wrote. "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."
"It has been insinuated by others that if I go out, I could be arrested for denying a quarantine order," she added. "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 also cited the Americans With Disabilities Act and argued that, by being forced to stay at home, she was being discriminated against by the government.
"If I were an essential employee, I would be denied access to my job by my employer and the government, though compensated, those with other communicable diseases are afforded the right to work. It has been insinuated by others that if I go out, I could be arrested for denying a quarantine order. However, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination by employers, places of public accommodation, and state and local government entities. Where do we draw the line?"
ReOpenNC has said they will be holding their next rally at the state legislative building and that they will continue protesting every Tuesday until the restrictions in the state are lifted.