Democracy Dies in Darkness

In Wisconsin, protesters attack stay-at-home orders as unnecessary — or a government cabal

Some said the shutdown was ruining the economy, and people’s livelihoods. For others, it was evidence of a coup to push Trump out of office.

By
April 26, 2020 at 4:53 p.m. EDT
A crowd gathered near the state capitol building in Madison, Wis., on April 24 to protest coronavirus stay-at-home orders and advocate for reopening the state. (Video: The Washington Post)

MADISON, Wis. — Carrie Ezzell is almost certain she had the novel coronavirus.

In late February, the 78-year-old day-care center operator had a high fever and cough and was so fatigued she could barely move. She said her doctor ruled out the flu but wasn’t sure what she was suffering from. “In my case, it put me down for about 24 hours. And then I had a cough for three weeks, and then I was fine,” Ezzell said.