Coronavirus pandemic: Hundreds protest NC stay-at-home order in Raleigh

Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina to demonstrate against Gov. Roy Cooper's stay-at-home order and to push for reopening the state's economy.

Protesters gathered outside the General Assembly and carried signs such as, "Let Us Out," "You Woke a Sleeping Giant," and "We Are All Essential."

Local station WTVD reports the virus has been blamed for a total of 213 deaths in the Tar Heel state, and at least 6,951 people have tested positive for the virus.

The protest comes a day after a new report says the Charlotte region lost over 71,000 jobs in the first quarter of this year as businesses dealt with impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

The report released Monday by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance says that number represents about 4.8% of all the jobs in the area. That decline is still better than national figures that point to more than one in 10 Americans losing their jobs during the virus outbreak.