Dozens of people waving American flags and holding signs saying “Free CNY” gathered in front of the state office building today demanding that Governor Cuomo re-open parts of Upstate that have lower rates of COVID-19.
Greg Rigby is Vice Chair of the state’s Conservative Party.
"We're tired of being treated like we all belong in New York City. We're, what...275 miles outside of New York City? We're acting out of fear instead of intelligence. Enough is Enough. It's time to get on with our lives. We're intelligent people."
Onondaga County Republican Party Chairman Tom Dadey was also among the crowd. He says government is denying itself lost tax revenue by not re-opening sooner.
"I think we need to do it as soon as we can as safely as we can. The banks smart enough to say, 'yes, you come in to the office to execute a loan document, and after you leave, we'll sanitize the area.' The businesses are smart enough to figure out the reopening here. We haven't seen a mass problem with the pharmacies. We haven't seen a mass problem at Wegmans. I mean, the public's going into these stores every day!"
"I want to sit down and have dinner with my wife in a restaurant," Rigby said, shouting above blaring car horns. "This is crazy. Does it need to be sensible? Yes. We've got to be separated. We know the kind of activity that causes it [spread of the virus]. We're not stupid."
While the protesters publicly rebuked Governor Cuomo, none appeared to be openly critical of County Executive Ryan McMahon, who has largely supported Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic response.
