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Protesters armed against the Michigan coronavirus blockade have gathered in the state capitol building.
Hundreds of protesters, some armed, gathered in Lansing, and many wore no masks or social distance.
Police verified their temperatures before some could enter the capitol, where lawmakers were debating.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, extended her mandate to stay home earlier this month until May 15.
Michigan has been badly affected by the coronavirus, with 3,788 deaths.
More than 41,000 infections have been reported across the Midwest state, primarily in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Thursday’s protest, called the “American Patriot Rally,” was organized by Michigan United for Liberty. He called on state companies to reopen May 1 in violation of state orders.
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Some protesters were allowed to enter the building after its temperature was verified
It is legal to carry firearms inside the state chamber, and several protesters openly carried weapons in the Senate gallery.
But some armed protesters reportedly attempted to enter the chamber floor and were blocked by the state police and gun sergeants.
A state senator said several of his colleagues were wearing bulletproof vests.
The images of the protesters outside the building showed them singing “Let us in!”, “Let us work” and “This is the people’s house, they can’t lock us up.”
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“The virus is here,” a protester, Joni George, told the Associated Press. “He’s going to be here … It’s time to let people go back to work. That’s all.”
The rally is believed to have been the largest of its kind since April 15, when Michigan protesters sat in their cars to create traffic around the state chamber.
President Donald Trump supported the protesters at the time, tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”. Some critics said his tweets were an attempt to fuel the insurrection.
On Thursday, the Republican-controlled legislature rejected Gov. Whitmer’s request to extend his emergency orders.
They also cleared the way for her to be sued for her handling of the pandemic. She replied that she does not need legislative authorization for the extension.
On Wednesday, the governor accused Republicans of treating the virus as a “political problem,” rather than “a public health crisis.”
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Many states in the United States, including Georgia, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, have taken steps to loosen virus mitigation restrictions.
On Wednesday, a Michigan court ruled that the governor’s closing orders were not unconstitutional, as five state residents had claimed in a lawsuit against the governor.
“Although the Tribunal is painfully aware of the difficulties of living under the restrictions of these executive orders, those difficulties are temporary, while for those who contract the virus and cannot recover (and for their family and friends), it is too permanent.” Michigan Claims Court judge Christopher M Murray wrote in a ruling.
