Following protests calling to re-open the economy in several states last week, another rally is being organized in Richmond on Wednesday, when the General Assembly will reconvene to consider amendments proposed by Governor Northam.

The #ReOpen Virginia rally, planned as a drive-in event, is scheduled for Wednesday in Capitol Square, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. According to a press release about the rally sent by one of its organizers, Virginians will gather to demand that Gov. Northam reconsider his executive orders and reopen the economy sooner than June 10.

"If Virginians don't unite to reopen our economy, now, we might not have an economy to reopen later," David Britt, one of the organizers of the rally, said in the release.

While Gov. Northam's Stay at Home order, implemented by Executive Order 55, is set to run until June 10, the closure of many non-essential businesses was set by Executibe Order 53, which Gov. Northam announce last week was being

.

That order also bans gatherings of more than 10 people.

The extension was because Virginia isn't projected to hit its peak of COVID-19 cases, according to state-specific modeling by UVA Health, until late April or early May. Those sames models show that lifting restrictions too early would result in a surge of new cases that could potentially put hospitals in parts of Virginia beyond their surge capacity. As of April 20, there are 8,990 positive and presumed positive cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, with 300 people dying as a result.

The groups organizing the Virginia protest, like similar groups across the country, however, oppose any restrictions continuing beyond May 1.

Across the nation, more and more people are calling for the economy to reopen, claiming the economic impact will be worse than the impact of the coronavirus. Last week,

organized by ReOpen Virginia, End The Lockdown VA and Virginians Against Excessive Quarantine showed up outside the state's capitol to call for Governor Ralph Northam to "reopen Virginia."

In the press release announcing this week's protest, organizers claim they expect "thousands of participants" for their drive-in protest. A similar claim was made last week, but attendees overall totaled a few dozen.

At that rally, police officers

to enforce Executive Order 53's ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. Police also direct attendees to adhere to the orders and limit their groups, and they said everyone in attendance followed those orders. No arrests were made.

Capitol Police have already planned this week to close Capitol Square while lawmakers re-convene.

Across the country,

. Last week,

the residents of three states, including Virginia, should "liberate" themselves. In other states, people also gathered to protest stay at home orders.

There were demonstrations in several cities, in states with Republican and Democratic governors. In Austin, TX, several hundred people gathered to protest the restrictions, and more than 200 people gathered together outside of the governor's mansion in Indianapolis. There are currently more than 11,500 cases of COVID-19 in Indiana. There were also demonstrators in New Hampshire, which has seen more than 1,300 cases.

In Texas, Governor Abbott has said he will begin easing restrictions this week, but Indiana governor Eric Holcomb said he would extend the stay-at-home order until May 1. Governor Holcomb signed an agreement with six other mid-western states to coordinate their re-opening efforts. In Florida, some beaches have re-opened, subject to limits on hours and activities.

The organizers of the #ReOpen Virginia rally claim that while COVID-19 projections are going down, the number of domestic violence cases, substance abuse, suicides and other mental health issues are increasing. Additionally, they claim small businesses are being destroyed by the economic closure.

The organizers have primarily mobilized supporters through a Facebook group created on Easter that has since grown to over 28,000 members.