Over 200 people gathered in California to protest the state's stay-at-home order

• More than 200 California residents descended upon Huntington Beach, California, to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order.
• Most of the protesters demonstrated without wearing face masks and ignored social distancing guidelines to remain six feet apart.
• The demonstration against coronavirus lockdown measures followed ones in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Waving American flags and Trump banners, more than 200 California residents descended upon Huntington Beach, California on April 17 to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order, which was implemented to help spread the curb of the coronavirus.

While calling for the governor to lift coronavirus lockdown measures, protesters in the "March for Freedom" defied the recommendations of public health officials, demonstrating largely without face masks or gloves and ignoring social distancing guidelines to remain six feet apart.

The demonstration called for "liberty & re-opening the california economy," according to the Facebook event page. Although the demonstration initially was small, local police said it quickly grew to over 200 attendees.

"We are asking our community and those that visit Huntington Beach to remember we are under an Executive Order by the State, which specifically states all residents of California should stay at home in an effort to help flatten the curve in regard to community spread of COVID-19," Huntington Police said in a statement to ABC News. "The more people are out and gathered in groups, the more COVID-19 will spread in our community and endanger lives."

Protesters held a variety of home-made signs, with one that read "Quarantine the sick, not the healthy," and another that had the slogan "Live Free or Die." One protester showed up in full hazmat suit, with words scribbled across the white costume, holding a sign that said "COVID-19 is a lie."

—#EndTheLockdown (@EndLockdownNow) April 18, 2020

One protester who waved an American flag told the Los Angeles Times that she was "sick" of social distancing and Newsom's coronavirus lockdown measures, which she claimed were "killing business."

"I don't think there's any reason for us to be on lockdown now," the unidentified protester told the LA Times."We didn't have any dangers; we have no danger in our hospitals now of overflowing."

However, California's success in controlling the spread of infection compared to other states is largely due to its early response to the virus. Gov. Newsom was the first governor to mandate a state-wide stay-at-home order on March 19, in an unprecedented move shutting down businesses and schools to control the spread of the virus.

California has reported 29,546 infections and 1,057 deaths linked to COVID-19 — far behind New York where the novel virus has infected 235,395 and killed 17,131, according to data collected by John Hopkins.

The effectiveness of social distancing measures and restrictive lockdown measures in California have been widely praised and supported by public health experts. Hospitals in the Golden State have remained largely empty awaiting a surge in cases thanks to its early response.

However, sequestered in their homes and feeling the financial toll of widespread coronavirus lockdowns, Americans across the country have begun protesting various state stay-at-home orders, echoing President Donald Trump's calls to re-open America and breathe life back into the US' stalled economy.

—Buzz Patterson for Congress (CA-7) (@BuzzPatterson) April 18, 2020

Trump tweeted his support for the civil disobedience, calling various states to "liberate" from stay-at-home orders.

The demonstration in California follows similar protests against stay-at-home orders in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Organizing has begun in Florida, Virginia, Maryland, and other states to protest the coronavirus lockdown measures.

Despite their calls, more than half of Americans (66%) are worried restrictions on public activity will be lifted too early, according to a poll from Pew Research Center, which experts warn could cause a second wave of cases in the US.

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