Antivaxxers spearhead protests against lockdown orders, demand “freedom”

Enlarge / SALEM, OR. - MAY 02: A nurse holds a sign at the ReOpen Oregon Rally. Demonstrators gathered at the state capitol to demand a reopening of the state and to protest Gov. Kate Brown's stay-at-home order, which was put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. (credit: Getty | Terray Sylvester)

Prominent anti-vaccine voices have joined the din of those protesting social-distancing measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by The New York Times.

The merging movements have some health experts concerned that anti-vaccination sentiments may spread among the various factions protesting the mitigation efforts. Those factions include Tea Party activists, armed militia groups, protesters carrying Confederate flags, and some business owners who merely want to be able to reopen, according to experts who spoke with the Times.

There is a tremendous amount of cross-pollinization of ideas as these factions get to know each other," Devin Burghart, who runs the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, told the Times.

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments