“COVID-19 parties” — at which people intentionally risk contracting the coronavirus by ignoring all safety guidelines — have begun turning up in the
country’s current hot spot, Florida.
That’s according to Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson, who says his deputies have had their hands full breaking up the parties in recent weeks. Video taken by a police chopper over the weekend shows dozens of people dancing, drinking and socializing on Kissimmee streets at one of the COVID-19 parties, which Gibson says are often held at vacation rental properties. “Generally speaking, they’re on the weekends,” Gibson says. “We’re going to have extra patrols out there, especially when we know these parties are going on.”
Florida sheriff says "unsavory" people are hosting parties to spread COVID https://t.co/nghytSSJkk
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) July 18, 2020
While deputies have been breaking up the gatherings, they haven’t been able to penalize anyone for the risky affairs because, technically, they’re not doing anything illegal, Gibson says. “These are recommendations by the CDC and that’s what we’re going by, but they’re not violating the law,” the sheriff says. “There is no law.”
