About 60 people protested Monday, April 20, outside Newport Beach City Hall, calling for an end to California’s coronavirus quarantine.

The protest included chants calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to start with Phase 1 of re-opening the state, referencing guidelines for state governors that President Donald Trump unveiled last week for a three-phased approach for “Opening Up America Again.”

Some among the group wore Trump T-shirts, many wore red, white and blue clothing, waved the American flag and stood side-by-side without masks. Among the signs waved at passing cars were: “Sick people home = quarantine; healthy people at home = tyranny” and “My Constitutional rights are essential.”

Dozens of people show up at Newport Beach City Hall on Monday, April 20, 2020 to protest the government shutdown because of the coronavirus. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dozens of people show up at Newport Beach City Hall on Monday, April 20, 2020 to protest the government shutdown because of the coronavirus. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

On an otherwise busy street in front of Newport Beach City Hall, protesters rally against the government shutdown because of the coronavirus on Monday, April 20, 2020. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

People show up at Newport Beach City Hall on Monday, April 20, 2020 to protest the government shutdown because of the coronavirus. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dozens of people show up at Newport Beach City Hall on Monday, April 20, 2020 to protest the government shutdown because of the coronavirus. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Protesters at Newport Beach Civic Center on Monday, April 20, called for the end of California’s stay-at-home order. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Staff Photographer/SCNG)

The protest on Monday followed a much larger event Sunday in San Clemente where hundreds turned out, and an initial protest in the county last week in Huntington Beach. Another protest was planned in Irvine for later on Monday and several protesters referenced a much larger event planned in San Clemente on April 26 and one in Huntington Beach on May 1.

Libby Huyck, 60, was among a large group of women representing the Newport Harbor Republican Women.

She said she was upset about the effects of the continuing stay-at-home orders, including the city cutting off access to the walkways along the water on Newport Beach’s Balboa Island and the peninsula boardwalk.

“In the beginning, we thought it would be more serious and it was important to shut it down,” she said. “The data looked like it was supporting that strong measure. Now, it’s time to open it back up.”

“I’m not concerned,” she said. “I think I can fight it off.”

Tom Mantyla, 61, a Newport Beach resident who is president of Baker Party Rentals in Costa Mesa, said he’s operated the business for decades and was recently forced to lay-off 40 employees.

“I want to show support for opening our state,” he said. “At minimum getting ready for Phase One, which encourages vulnerable people to stay home, includes continued social distancing, encourages telecommuting, but allows workers to return to work in phases.”

“We are allowed to be open, but we have no business,” Mantyla said. “We provide goods when people gather.”

Kira Beattie, 16, and her mother, Jennifer, 40, of Fullerton also joined Monday’s effort. They learned about the event on social media.

“I hope they’ll stop the lockdown and quarantine sick people and those at risk,” Jennifer Beattie said. “Alcohol and cigarettes are bad and those aren’t quarantined. Flu kills over 60,000 a year. This is infringing on the constitutional rights of people in America.”

“The lockdown is hurting smaller businesses and our economy,” Kira Beattie said. “I’m home-schooled and we go to a lot of museums and we can’t do that now.”

Newport Beach police officers – wearing masks – stood about 60 feet away keeping watch on the protest. The nearly two-hour event was peaceful, with only a mega-horn and car honks making noise.

Two people – including Scott Degler – stood on adjacent corner as a counter protest. Degler said his friend died from the coronavirus after traveling to Las Vegas.

The protests come as California surpasses 30,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. More than 1,100 have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

State and public health officials have continued to call for California residents to obey the state’s stay at home order, saying it has helped flatten the curve of infections.

Staff writers Jeong Park and Mindy Schauer contributed to this report