North Iredell News

A state senator committed to joining an April 21 rally pressuring Gov. Roy Cooper to fully reopen North Carolina while the COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health concern. 

The rally was organized by #REOPENNC, which includes lawmakers and North Carolina's residents, called for the governor to end the stay-at-home order he issued in March. 

“With so much uncertainty over the virus's true prevalence, hospitalization rate, and fatality rate, it's not surprising that people are no longer complying with government orders,” state Sen. Vickie Sawyer (Mooresville) said in a news release given to the Statesville Record & Landmark prior to the event. 

Protesters planned caravan through Raleigh, honking their horns in protest of the governor's order. #REOPENNC said the stay-at-home order restricts citizens' freedoms and damaged the economy, according to the publication. 

One person was arrested for violating a state order and jeopardizing public health at a similar #REOPENNC protest held April 14, according to the publication. 

Sawyer said she was shocked that Raleigh police called protesting a non-essential activity, according to the publication. 

“I'll be joining tomorrow's event, with proper social distancing, to hear directly from those who feel so passionately that they're traveling to Raleigh and risking arrest,” she told the publication.

Sawyer is one of five state senators who asked the governor to consider allowing NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. 

The governor's stay-at-home order is set to expire April 29, but he does have the power to extend it if he wishes. In a news release last week, the governor said he would like to see more coronavirus testing, better tracking of who infected people have been in contact with and a decrease in the infection rate before he reopens the state. 

His concerns fall in line with White House health officials who are recommending states reopen once the number of infected has decreased for two weeks.