BOURNE, Mass. — Despite Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s state reopening proposal scheduled to be released in two days, another rally was held on the Bourne Bridge rotary on Saturday, with dozens calling for Cape Cod businesses to be allowed to open their doors.
According to the founder of United Cape Patriots, Adam Lange, this was the fifth rally the group has organized since non-essential businesses were ordered to close due to COVID-19.
“We have very little confidence in our governor,” he told Boston 25 News.
Lange added that he does not expect the governor’s proposal on Monday to be aggressive enough when it comes to reopening.
“I expect to see a plan that focuses on beaches, baseball diamonds and basketball courts when we should be focused on our elderly and nursing homes,” he said. “Right? If we followed the science. So yes, I plan to be disappointed.”
Others at the rally told Boston 25 News that they agreed that a four-phase reopening plan would not get businesses up and running quickly enough.
Lange said he wants Massachusetts to follow federal reopening guidelines.
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“We’ve been asking the governor to consider two things: first, follow the CDC approved White House Plan for reopening the state, and, the second, to open it county by county,” Lange said. “I want to see him take a look at Barnstable County, for instance, where we’re from, Cape Cod. Take a look at our very low infection rate and consider us for a phased reopening right now.”
Many at the rally waved President Trump flags, held signs and sold Trump merchandise.
Andrea Law, a small business owner in Falmouth, told Boston 25 News that she was worried about future troubles for the Cape Cod economy if stores cannot open ahead of Memorial Day weekend and their busy summer season.
“This is our season, we’re upon our season, we need to go. We need to open up,” she said.
Law explained that she’s had her home décor store on Main Street, Settings, for five years and worries about other small stores like hers closing if they cannot meet their financial needs.
“There’s not a lot of big business out here. If you look at Cape Cod as a whole, it’s all small businesses and people that are just doing it for the love of it. We’re not getting rich off of it!” she said. “It’s for the love of what we do. We want to work for ourselves. We want to work, and make our own money and survive.”
She also questioned why larger retail stores remain open, adding that she feels she can better control customer social distancing practices in a smaller space.
“We’re shut down, and I don’t understand how can you go into Walmart, you can go into other stores, and it’s crazy! There’s people everywhere, they’re not social distancing. But yet a little store like mine […] I just think that I can do social distancing so much better,” Law said.