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Police officers were met with applause and chants of “USA” after they allowed a gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey, to continue operating on Monday, May 18, despite state lockdown orders. Atilis Gym co-owner Ian Smith announced in a May 11 Facebook video that the facility would resume operations on May 18 “under the strictest measures.” Smith criticized the closure of nonessential businesses, saying “the danger of the virus had been largely overestimated.” According to Johns Hopkins University, 10,363 people in New Jersey have died from COVID-19, the second-highest death rate of any US state (after New York). Atilis Gym said new regulations include operating at 20 percent capacity, taking temperatures upon entry, and making hand sanitizer available, among other guidelines. The gym also said members in the facility must wear a mask “unless you are in the middle of your set.” This video, filmed on May 18, shows an officer giving the OK for Atilis Gym to reopen, prompting demonstrators to cheer and break into chanting. “Normally, you are all in violation of the executive order. On that note, have a good day, everybody be safe,” the officer says as the crowd erupts in applause. Atilis Gym co-owner Frank Trumbetti said in a May 13 Facebook video that the reopening was planned to “fight for our rights.” An emotional Trumbetti also said in the video that his mother tested positive for the coronavirus in early May. He said as of May 13, his mom was “nonresponsive” in the hospital and under do-not-resuscitate and do-not-intubate orders. “Trust me when I say, I probably take this more seriously than probably almost anybody you know,” Trumbetti said in the video. Credit: @proteinnpop via Storyful