An Ohio man who slammed coronavirus lockdown measures on social media has passed away from the virus.
Screenshots of 60-year-old John W. McDaniel Facebook posts have now gone viral on the web just days after he died of coronavirus on April 15th. In the posts, McDaniel referred to social distancing measures as “bullshit,” and was angry with the government for shutting down the state. He even went as far as accusing the virus of being a “political ploy” in a post-dated March 13th, just a month before his death.
“If you’re paranoid about getting sick, just don’t go out,” another post allegedly said. “It shouldn’t keep those of us from Living Our Lives. The Madness has to stop.”
British broadcaster Piers Morgan even took to Twitter on Tuesday to send a strong message to those who are not taking the virus seriously.
“Let his death be a warning to everyone else who wants to be ‘living our lives’ & ignore lockdowns – it may END your life,” Morgan tweeted Tuesday.
However, McDaniel’s account has since been deleted, as NBC News reports being unable to locate it and could not independently verify the screenshots.
McDaniel’s alleged posts are circulating following Ohio protests over Gov. Mike DeWine’s social restrictions. Last week, DeWine announced his plan to “start opening Ohio back up,” with May 1st as the tentative date to begin loosening restrictions, according to NBC News. Other states that have announced their plan to reopen include South Carolina and Georgia, who is even allowing some businesses to open as early as this week.
However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned against the May 1st reopening, urging that it may be too early. The White House’s top coronavirus expert also said that limits on testing would make it difficult to prevent new infections.
“We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” Fauci explained to The Associated Press last week.
McDaniels, who was a lifelong resident of Marion, Ohio, was an avid Ohio State University fan who was described as an entertaining storyteller who “loved life and loved everyone he knew with his whole heart,” according to his obituary.
The obituary also shared a message about staying safe during the pandemic.
“They would also like to remind everyone to continue practicing social distancing to keep each other safe,” it read.
McDaniel’s family did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
