It is easy to dismiss those protesting stay in place policies related to COVID-19 as wingnuts, whackadoodles or right-wing conspiracy theorists who don’t understand the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And, surely, there are some who fit that description among those who are flooding big cities and state capitols around the country.

But there are many who aren’t taking part in the protests who are quietly and earnestly waiting to get back to life as they knew it. They aren’t itching to get back to their regular lives because they’re greedy, selfish or too stupid to grasp the enormity of our nation’s situation with COVID-19. And yes, those are some common conceptions being bandied about these days about those who want to see some restrictions lifted.

The same people who felt disregarded four years ago by the political elites from both parties are starting to feel disregarded now. People who have struggled to get by four years are still struggling to get by now. Thanks to complications caused by the COVID-19-driven economic shutdown, getting by has gotten even more difficult. There is a population who is struggling through an overburdened unemployment system that still isn’t servicing everyone who needs help. They see bills piling up while income dwindles. And unlike the federal government, these people can’t print money. There will come a time when their bills come due. More immediately, they are struggling to put food on the table now. They are struggling to provide for their families. That’s why food pantries and soup kitchens are busier now than they’ve ever been.

The lack of a reopening plan and the imposition of another month of staying in place has heightened the economic anxiety many people are dealing with. They need to hear more from their elected officials than society can’t reopen because not enough testing is available. Open-ended platitides are no longer enough for many people to justify the sacrifices they are dealing with. And, to top it all off, when they try to speak up, they are shouted down for being ignorant or greedy or selfish.

This shutdown hasn’t been economically devastating for some who still have their incomes. Try being on the margins and struggling to get your promised unemployment benefits that state lawmakers spoke so eloquently about a month ago. Watch the cupboards slowly get bare while waiting on a federal stimulus check that never seems to show up while federal lawmakers dither over how to send them or whose name ends up on the check. Try telling your children that things will be OK while wondering if your going to be furloughed because your company was waiting on a Payroll Protection Program loan, only to read in the newspaper that the loan program is out of money.

People who want to see restrictions lifted aren’t stupid, scared or ignorant. They are blessed with common sense, and common sense tells them the status quo can’t continue forever.

It’s easy to dismiss people who are starting to chafe at staying home. Show some empathy — they may be chafing for a reason.