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A motorcade of protesters has jammed up Niagara Square in Buffalo, New York. The demonstrators want lockdown measures lifted in their corner of the Empire State, but their defiance has angered some citizens.See also: Five protests against state government lockdowns held on Sunday in Tennessee, Washington, Colorado, Illinois and Florida - More planned...
Sticking to their cars to maintain social distance, a crowd of protesters blocked the streets of central Buffalo on Monday, calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to reopen the economy of New York State. While New York City has seen more than 130,000 cases of coronavirus and 10,000 deaths, Erie County, where Buffalo is located, has seen 2,200 cases and 143 fatalities.
Despite the discrepancy, Cuomo's stay-at-home order applies to the entirety of the state.
"Everything Cuomo is doing is aimed at New York City. But we have to suffer the consequences and it has to stop," one protester told local media on Sunday.
Cuomo has extended the shutdown until May 15, after President Donald Trump announced he would leave the decision on when to re-open up to state governors. However, New York is not the only state reluctant to relax the lockdown, and similar protests have broken out in more than ten states in recent days, including in Texas, Washington, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
In scenes repeated across the country, protesters flew a mix of American, Gadsden, and even Confederate flags from their cars.
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