- An individual that attended a “coronavirus party” in Kentucky has now tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
- The party was held as a way to push back against directives from health officials to engage in social distancing and remain home.
- It’s unclear how many people from the party may be infected.
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At a time when millions of people across the United States are taking drastic measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, holding a large gathering specifically because health officials advised against it is, well, idiotic. That didn’t stop a group of revelers in Kentucky from doing just that, and their so-called “coronavirus party” might further the national health crisis now that one of the attendees has tested positive for COVID-19.
The individual, who is reportedly in their 20s, was one of many who attended the themed party. The purpose of the party was to give a big middle finger to health experts and government officials who are urging everyone to avoid gatherings and group events. Well, it looks like that backfired.
Very few details about this new case have been reported, but it was confirmed by local news outlets that the person was one of many who were recently partying, presumably in close proximity to one another.
“This is the part where I, the person that tells everybody to be calm, have to remain calm myself, because anyone who goes to something like this may think that they are indestructible, but it’s someone else’s loved one that they are going to hurt,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said. “We are battling for the health and even the lives of our parents and our grandparents,” he added. “Don’t be so callous as to intentionally go to something and expose yourself to something that can kill other people. We ought to be much better than that.”
It’s this same mentality that led untold numbers of spring break partiers to descend on Florida beaches despite the advice of health officials that doing so was a terrible idea. Reports surfaced quickly afterward that some of those who were in attendance have since tested positive for the virus.
I get it. I really do. When you read a news story online or see it streaming across your television set, it’s difficult to connect it with your daily life. It’s easy to imagine that those same things won’t happen to you, and if you’re young and bold, maybe a “coronavirus party” sounds like a fun idea and a way to relieve some of your own anxieties about the situation.
Unfortunately, the crisis is very real, and it’s right here, right now. It’s up to us to take care of each other, and the best way to do that right now is to keep our distance from one another.
