An emergency worker in Denver says anti-lockdown demonstrators who broke social distancing to protest are 'mind-bogglingly selfish'
- Anti-coronavirus lockdown protests were held in several cities across the country over the weekend.
- Photos of a man and woman in scrubs staring down protesters in Denver, Colorado, gained traction online.
- Business Insider spoke to Ben Comden, an EMT in Denver, who said he thought the demonstrators were being "mind-bogglingly selfish" for breaking social-distancing rules to protest.
- He also said he was proud of the counterprotesters for not losing their cool.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A Denver emergency worker spoke about his "mixed feelings" over the anti-lockdown protests that took place in his city on Sunday, which saw people break social distancing to demonstrate, and counterprotesters wearing scrubs calmly staring them down.
Shortly after the photos gained traction online and in national media, Business Insider spoke to Ben Comden, an EMT at Denver Health.
'We become very emotional when people tend to ignore the science'
Comden, 28, said he was proud to see the counterprotesters keeping their composure in the photos that came out from the event.
"I'm encouraged by the way they handled themselves," he said.
"A lot of times we can get hot-headed when it comes to our work, we become very emotional when people tend to ignore the science that can help save a lot of people."
"I think the healthcare workers handled themselves very well. They were calm, they weren't retaliating the angry words being hurled at them, and I was appreciative of that," he added.
(It's not entirely clear whether the counterprotesters in scrubs were health workers. Comden also said he did not know who they were.)
Comden says he believes in people's right to protest, but not when it puts others in danger
As for the protests themselves, Comden says he has "mixed feelings."
He said that while he believes "it's everyone's right to protest," he thinks the demonstrators were being "mind-bogglingly selfish" by breaking social distancing rules and taking to the streets.
"A lot of people are arguing it's a 'my body, my choice' kind of thing. 'If I get sick, I can handle it,'" he said, paraphrasing what the protesters might be thinking about the coronavirus.
"But given how easily and quickly it spreads, and the chance you can spread it to vulnerable people in the population who will not make it through, it's just mind-bogglingly selfish on their parts," he said.
"I think it's a selfish act to think it's just about you, and not trying to protect these more vulnerable populations who have no protections from this," he added
Comden did say, however, that he has sympathy for people who are stuck at home without jobs and facing an uncertain future.
"I understand the worry and the need to get back to work. And people are scared and have lost a lot of money in this situation," he said. "I can't imagine where that's putting them at in this mindset."
Colarado's relatively tame coronavirus outbreak means the lockdown is working
He said he can also understand why some people may want to lift stay-at-home orders in Colorado, where the outbreak may not seem as bad as elsewhere.
As of Tuesday, there were more than 10,000 coronavirus cases in the state, and 486 deaths, a considerably tamer outbreak compared to New York — the worst-hit US state — which has recorded more than 251,000 infections and more than 14,000 deaths.
But Comden says the fact that the Colorado's situation hasn't gotten that bad is a sign that the measures taken so far are curbing the disease.
"It isn't a testament that we need to reverse, it's a testament to the fact that it's working," he said.
That being said, he says he doesn't think stay-at-home orders should go on indefinitely.
"It's definitely something that needs to be weighed and measured on a daily and weekly basis, to sort of figure out the best plan of action," he said.
The state's stay-at-home orders are currently scheduled to end on April 26, while Denver's are in place until April 30 for now. However, city officials have said that they won't be lifted all at once and that restrictions of some sort will likely be in place for several months.
Read the original article on Business Insider