One of the co-founders of a group that protested against Maryland's stay-at-home orders has revealed he has tested positive for coronavirus. Tim Walters, a leader of Reopen Maryland, a group that organized rallies in April and May urging Gov. Larry Hogan to ease coronavirus restrictions, announced that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
"It is Thursday, week 15 of my house arrest, which apparently hasn't worked because this is day 2 of me having COVID," Walters, 53, said in a Facebook video uploaded last week. "I did have a hard day yesterday. I told you guys I wasn't feeling really well. I crashed later in the day, had to go to the emergency room. I thought I was actually having a stroke," he continued. "Turns out I have COVID. So with that said, I'm not feeling quite myself today."
Walters added that his wife and son will also be tested for the virus. "Interesting time, but as you can see, I'm not dying. It's uncomfortable. I would make it akin to having the flu," he said. In a subsequent video update on Monday, Walters noted that he was feeling much better.
Masks are Useless, Says Walters
Despite testing positive for the deadly disease that has killed more than 125,000 people in the US and over 500,000 across the globe, he says his opinion about not wearing masks in public hasn't changed.
"Masks are an absolutely great tool for people that want to use them to use them," he told the Daily Recordon Friday, before adding that — in his opinion — "they're not really going to do anything." "There's too much proof that masks don't work," he said, before stating that he would not help state officials with contract tracing efforts.
Maryland is currently in phase 2 of its re-opening process and requires residents to wear protective face coverings while commuting using public transport as well as in retail stores.
Making an Example Out of Walters
Sharing an article about Walters' diagnosis on social media — which featured an image of Walters not wearing a mask at a protest — Gov. Hogan encouraged Maryland residents to "continue to take all precautions to reduce the risks of spreading coronavirus."
