Last weekend, the Chainsmokers led an outdoor charity concert in the Hamptons that was touted as a self-service show where guests could sit outside their cars in designated areas that were at least six feet away. Still, photos and videos from the event show crowds packed with few people wearing masks. It quickly went viral on social media.
The organizers of Know Experiences and Invisible Noise insisted that they followed all the proper protocols and guidelines for organizing an event during the COVID-19 pandemic: “The video everyone is talking about was taken from an angle that does not adequately convey how careful to follow the guidelines created by the CDC, “they wrote in a statement to Billboard. “We did our best to enforce New York’s social distancing guidelines and collaborated with all state and local health officials to keep everyone safe.”
“We follow all the appropriate and current protocols, including the spacing of each place more than six feet away, the placement of disinfection stations throughout the open field, temperature controls for all attendees, the disinfection of the toilets every 10 minutes, local security forcing guests to wear their masks both in and out of their designated areas, locating contacts, clearly marked parking areas, as well as providing complimentary facial masks upon arrival, “they added.
However, the video sparked the anger of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said he was “horrified” at the event, as well as Health Department Commissioner Howard A. Zucker, who immediately launched an investigation. Amid the controversy, organizers and Southampton City Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, who also performed at the concert with his band, have defended the concert. But in a new opinion piece for Rolling Stone, Zucker explains why the show jeopardized New York’s “months-long job of flattening the curve and containing the virus.”
With video footage clearly showing social alienation and ignored safety precautions, Chainsmokers ‘recent “Safe & Sound” charity concert in Southampton pokes fun at New Yorkers’ months of work to flatten the curve and contain the virus.
This event was professionally organized with the participation of the City of Southampton supervisor. With this type of popular entertainment, it’s hard to imagine how gathering thousands of young people at a drive-in event would not be a threat to public health.
Who or what system would impose social distancing? This is not just a lack of common sense, but an illegal and reckless danger to public health. As a commissioner, I have ordered the Department of Health to conduct an investigation into how this non-compliance event was able to take off.
During the pandemic and the closure, I have thought a lot about the meaning of “public”. My job as a commissioner is to monitor health problems that are essentially public: threats or conditions that affect the largest number of residents in our state.
One of the first official letters I wrote while growing up in the Bronx was to Mayor John Lindsay, when I tripped over an overturned sidewalk block and was injured. As a primary child, I knew that I would heal well. But what if it was an older person who stumbled or a pregnant woman?
The bottom line in identifying yourself as a member of the public is taking responsibility for everyone else within this broad category. We are all its guardians; The public is as strong and resilient as ourselves.
I will always believe in the good will and wisdom of the general public. There is a lot of selfishness in our culture, but my training in public health allows me to focus on the well-being of large populations, essentially what unites us all.
I was angry when I heard about the actions of Southampton concert promoters and the blatant disregard for public health during a pandemic. But I was encouraged by the fact that most people who read or heard the story felt the same way.
“This is not just a lack of common sense, but an unwise and reckless danger to public health.”
I think what impressed us the most was seeing so many with such a head start: concertgoers were generally young, healthy and, as the $ 850 ticket prices indicated, could afford medical care if needed, be so arrogant about taking a risk that could have serious consequences for many.
You don’t have to be the health commissioner to realize that when it comes to contracting and transmitting a contagious and dangerous disease, each of us is a rank card-carrying member. COVID-19 is an equal opportunity infector: it does not recognize the color of the skin or the thickness of the portfolios.
And when this disease spreads, it is more devastating for people who are not young and healthy. It is most devastating to people who cannot afford $ 850 tickets to a charity event, that is, minority populations working in underserved communities who we have seen are at increased risk of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. .
Ultimately, the irresponsibility of the Hampton partygoers could have a ripple effect that again hurts those who have already suffered the most from this pandemic. This lack of respect for the sacrifices that so many have made and this general lack of care is why this story about public irresponsibility worries us so much.
But, as I said, I believe in the good will and wisdom of the general public.
New York has gone from the worst affected state to the best managed state during this crisis. We are now ahead of the virus instead of catching up, and we are determined not to lose this edge as we work to keep all New Yorkers safe.
Dr. Howard A. Zucker is the New York State Commissioner of Health and Chief Physician.
