Richmond will be under curfew Sunday through Wednesday as part of Gov. Northam’s state of emergency.

Kipp Teague / Flickr

A smattering of protesters gathered outside the Virginia Capitol in Richmond on Thursday, calling for Gov. Ralph Northam to allow businesses to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.

While the protest only drew a few dozen, the sentiment seems to be growing among Republican politicians and pundits, who are encouraging some easing of restrictions in hopes of kickstarting the economy. Health and government officials, however, say it is too early to return to normal life.

Several private Facebook groups, like “Reopen Virginia” have popped up demanding the changes to stay-at-home orders. Similar groups have appeared in other states as well.

Virginia’s lockdown is slated to last until at least May 8, preventing nonessential gathering in hopes of limiting the spread of the coronavirus. Some groups are calling for ending restrictions now. Others want them to end on May 1.

Joe Ordia, CEO of PEG Solar in Ashland, said in a Facebook video that businesses have been shut down too long because of “unconstitutional executive orders.”

“It should be a business owner’s choice and individuals’ choice whether they choose to do business or quarantine,” Ordia said. He echoed President Donald Trump’s tweet saying the “cure shouldn’t be worse than the disease.” He argued business owners and employees are hurting, and the state and the nation have seen record unemployment.

Virginia has nearly 6,900 confirmed positive cases and 208 deaths from the coronavirus.

State police shut down Capitol Square during the protest, according to Virginia Public Media.

Republican lawmakers, including House Republican Leader Del. Todd Gilbert, encouraged Northam to allow more businesses to “safely adapt to these circumstances.” Flattening the curve and getting back to work don’t have to be mutually exclusive, the statement said.

“Virginians are an industrious and creative people. In the weeks since all this began, we’ve seen some amazing efforts to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Businesses that have even the smallest ability to continue to serve their customers have been creative and found a way to keep the lights on—and keep their customers and employees safe at the same time.”

Northam has called on residents to cover their faces in public, spend more time at home and telework if possible, making social distancing and staying away from large gatherings a “new normal” for now.

“When people say that it’s time to stop what we’re doing and get back to normal, they’re wrong,” Northam said Wednesday. “Right now, the models and our hospitals expect we’ll be able to handle the expected surge in patients. But if we let off the brakes and try to go back to the way things were, we’ll see another spike in cases that could overwhelm our hospitals.”

This story originally appeared on WAMU.

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