Lynda Muller, the chair of the Middlesex County Republican Committee, and her husband, Hal, joined the protest. They gathered in the morning at the shopping center with others in at least 50 vehicles before heading downtown around 11 a.m.

Muller said she’s a “huge supporter of our gun rights” and said the protest was of “tyrannical government.”

She said she wants small businesses like retailers and restaurants to be allowed to reopen. “They can practice social distancing in their businesses,” she said. “The restaurants are really getting hit hard.”

Chris Hale, a disabled Army veteran said he is a resident of Tennessee who currently lives in Peterstown, W.Va., and drove to Richmond to join the protest.

“The government is allowing the alcohol and the ABC places to stay up but shutting down the churches, so that’s an infringement on the First Amendment,” he said.

Polling shows that a majority of Americans are worried about reopening businesses or churches too early.

Northam said Friday that Virginia is planning for when the state will be able to reopen, but the commonwealth is “not there yet” because White House guidelines require positive tests to be on a downward trend for 14 days.