NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — State and local leaders across Tennessee are meeting to determine the best and safest way to restart the economy, meanwhile people are beginning to speak out with their opinion on the restart.

On Saturday, Curtis Carney, owner of Off The Wagon, also called, Nashville Party Wagon – held a demonstration on Broadway.

For the past month, businesses and bars on Broadway have been closed due to local and state orders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Carney’s business provides tours of the downtown Nashville area via party wagon. Carney said since business has shut down in Downtown Nashville, his business has suffered.

He said, “I mean we had to lay off 15 people and that’s just being a small company.”

On Saturday, Carney parked on of his wagons on Broadway, with two signs. The sayings on the signs included, “Stand up, open up, get back to work.” and “The world needs to be back at work.”

Carney said he knows other businesses that feel the same, but he said they’re afraid to speak out.

He said, “If we don’t open up and we don’t stand together, then we’re only going to keep hurting and it’s going to get worse.”

The business owner added that he has sympathy for families who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19, but he said the economy needs to reopen with safety precautions.

Carney said, “The whole point to doing this was, somebody has to set an example and lead the way and show it’s okay to do it. It’s okay to take the risk.”

COVID-19 in Tennessee

(This reflects what the TDH is reporting each day at 2 p.m. CST )

Stay with News 2 for continuing coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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