A MAN who vehemently protested coronavirus lockdown measures has died two weeks after contracting the deadly virus.
John McDaniel, a 60-year-old from Ohio, USA, passed away in hospital on Wednesday.
He had previously campaigned against measures to prevent the spread of the disease, and even described coronavirus as a "political ploy" at one point.
Reacting to his local governor's decision to increase lockdown measures, Mr McDaniel took to Facebook on March 15, writing: "If what I'm hearing is true, that DeWine has ordered all bars and restaurants to be closed, I say b******t!
"He doesn't have that authority. If you are paranoid about getting sick just don't go out. It shouldn't keep those of us from living our lives.
"The madness has to stop."
On March 13, he wrote: "Does anybody have the guts to say if this COVID-19 is a political ploy?
"Asking for a friend. Prove me wrong."
His Facebook page has reportedly since been deleted. Mr McDaniel is survived by his wife and two children.
Local health commissioner Traci Kinsler paid tribute to the 60-year-old, telling the Marion Star: "On behalf of the entire Marion County community, we express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
"Our thoughts go out to Marion County community, as well as all Ohioans, and those across the world battling this illness and the families of everyone affected by this pandemic."
Lockdown protests are becoming widespread in America, particularly with President Donald Trump admitting that certain state governors have gone "too far" in their efforts to contain tyne pandemic.
This week, a photo emerged on social media which showed an invitation to a large-scale 'lockdown party' in a public park in America, where even those who were sick with coronavirus were encouraged to come, because it was their "right" to choose whether to attend or not.
